Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 8: Union Home Secretary (designate) Anil Goswami on third day of his visit to the Kashmir Valley today had a high level review of Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) and assured full assistance to the State under the Plan during current financial year of 2013-14.
In addition to PMRP, Mr Goswami, who would take charge of Home Secretary on June 30 from RK Singh, also reviewed the projects approved by Prime Minister’s Special Task Force (STF).
Mr Goswami, who had earlier held a high level review of security scenario with top brass of para-military, police and civil officers on his arrival here on June 6 and met Governor NN Vohra, today reviewed the pace of projects under PMRP and STF and assured the State that the Union Government would ensure full assistance to the State under the PMRP during 2013-14.
Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretary, Planning and Development B R Sharma, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Finance Department B B Vyas, Principal Secretary Home Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary Power Arun Kumar Mehta, Union Home Joint Secretary (Kashmir) R K Srivastava, Administrative Secretaries of the State Government and other senior officers were present in the meeting and gave a detailed briefing to Mr Goswami on the PMRP and STF projects.
Mr Goswami held detailed discussions with the State bureaucrats regarding the physical and financial position of developmental projects under PMRP. He called for enhanced annual outlay, covering cost escalations and rejigging of PMRP to meet pressing developmental requirements of the State.
The State officials apprised Mr Goswami that a cumulative expenditure of Rs 9157.76 crore has accrued under various sectors by March 2013. However, under the State sector Rs 5071.17 crore have been released under PMRP till date, against which 96 per cent funds amounting to Rs 4849.89 crore have been utilised.
During the last financial year i.e. 2012-13, Rs 700 crore was approved under PMRP and for 2013-14, the State has proposed an allocation of Rs 1128.49 crore to complete the on-going projects.
Reviewing progress of Prime Minister’s Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) programme, the State officials briefed the designate Home Secretary that out of 2504 unconnected habitations, as many as 1344 have already been completed and Rs 577 crore released by Union Government through PMRP route for land acquisition stands utilised.
However, to cover rest of the habitations, an amount of Rs 800 crore is needed for land acquisition and successful implementation of the programme. The matter stands already taken up with the Union Government, which needs to be further expedited for early release of required funds, the State officers said.
While discussing power sector, the State officers informed Mr Goswami that under PMRP, the projects, which are funded under State Plan, have shown considerable impact on the ground.
However, the project for strengthening of Transmission and Distribution (T&D) network was required to undergo cost revision from Rs 1351 crore to Rs 1545 crore to cover cost escalation. The proposal has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Power for consideration.
The meeting was told that under the State Sector 19 PMRP Projects were taken up, out of which 7 have been physically and financially completed, while 7 are in advance stages of completion, 3 including Mughal Road will be completed this year and remaining two will be completed by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan.
Mr Goswami was also briefed about issues pertaining to Baglihar-II, Pakal Dul, Special Plan Assistance SPA, funding pattern of Centrally Sponsored Schemes, upgradation expansion of Jammu and Kargil airports, development of small airports at Kishtwar, Rajouri, Surankote, Padam etc, proposal for declaring Dunera to Pul Doda, Shopian-Kulgam-Qazigund, Srinagar Bandipora-Gurez and Mughal Road as National Highway, construction of Singhpora (Kishtwar)- Vailoo (Anantnag), Lolab- Bandipora and Chattapani-Zaznar (Mughal Road) Tunnels and City Mobility Plan for Srinagar and Jammu etc.
Progress of UDAAN and Himayat was also reviewed during today’s meeting with emphasis on accelerating the mobilisation /selection process to achieve set targets.
In his response, Mr Goswami assured to convene a meeting of all concerned Union Ministries to sort out the issues raised in today’s meeting. He assured all support to the State Government in resolving and taking up these matters with the concerned Ministries’ and asked the State Government officials to remain in constant touch with him.
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