Govt not in a position to fix timeframe for resumption of work
Threat of further escalation in project cost looms large
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 23: In yet another instance of dilly-dallying approach in handling important subjects, a committee of officers has failed to accomplish the task of conducting special audit of auto-mechanically operated Gated Barrage across River Tawi near 4th Tawi Bridge within the time-frame fixed by the Government.
The most shocking aspect is that the Government is not in a position to specify time-frame for resumption of work despite being aware of the fact that threat of further escalation in cost of the ambitious project is looming large.
In reference to the Office Memorandum of the Department of PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control dated February 26, 2019, the Administrative Secretary of the Finance Department Dr Arun Kumar Mehta vide Government Order No.357-FD of 2019 dated May 29, 2019 constituted a committee of four officers for conducting special audit of the Gated Barrage Project across River Tawi.
The Committee comprising Director General, Central Sponsored Schemes in the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, Development Commissioner Works of the Public Works Department, Chief Engineer, Roads and Buildings Department Jammu and Director Codes, Finance Department was asked to submit the special audit report to the Finance Department within 15 days positively so that future course of action vis-à-vis this project could be chalked out.
Though the deadline was over on June 13 yet the Committee has not completed the special audit till date what to talk of submission of report to the Finance Department, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “it is highly unjustifiable on the part of the Committee to adopt dilly-dallying approach in handling the issues pertaining to a project, which is of much importance for attracting tourists and prolonging their stay in Jammu”.
Some members of the Committee, when contacted, expressed inability to specify the timeframe required for the completion of special audit and while wishing anonymity simply said, “we are on the job and a meeting is being convened within next few days”.
“The Committee is required to reveal in the report as to how the contract awarded to M/s GVR Infra Projects Limited was operated, what were the shortcomings and the lapses on the part of the company and what should be done to ensure early restart and completion of work on the project”, sources said.
All this clearly indicates that unless the Committee completes the special audit and submits report to the Government future course of action cannot be decided, they further said, adding “since entire record pertaining to the project is readily available with the Department of PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control there was no ground for not meeting the deadline of 15 days for submission of report”.
It is pertinent to mention here that special audit has twin purposes as on one side during this exercise actual expenditure on the project and the claim of M/s GVR Infra Projects Limited will get verified and on the other side authorities will be able to quantify the work on the ground.
Laying thrust on early completion of all the formalities including special audit so as to pave the way for resumption of work, sources said, “if the dilly-dallying approach is allowed in respect of this project its cost will escalate further and in such an eventuality project will face further delay for want of additional funds”.
The importance of the project can be gauged from the fact that on one side artificial lake to be created due to construction of barrage will help in providing 120 cusecs of water to huge chunk of agricultural land during peak requirement and on the other side will become a source of attraction for the tourists.
The project is comprised of 31 gates—11 in Badi Tawi and 20 in Nikki Tawi and it was approved at an estimated cost of Rs 70 crore. The project has already missed numerous deadlines mainly because of dilly-dallying approach of M/s GVR Infra Projects Limited.
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