*Framed 1 year back, officers panel yet to submit recommendations
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 26: Though Estates Department is spending huge money every year in hiring hotels and private houses in both the capital cities to meet the accommodation requirement of the Government employees yet it has failed to create any additional infrastructure during the past several years and all the plans in this regard have remained confined to the official files till date despite deliberations on the subject in numerous meetings.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Estates Department is facing acute shortage of Government accommodation both at Jammu and Srinagar as a result of which it has been left with no other option than to book hotels and private residential houses to meet the requirement of the employees by paying huge money.
They informed that last year the Estates Department had hired more than 600 rooms in the hotels and over 200 private houses for the employees of civil administration and around 135 houses for the officers/officials of the police administration in Jammu following opening of Darbar here. “This speaks volume about the shortage of accommodation for the department”, they added.
“The practice of hiring rooms in hotels and private houses is going on during the past many years but there is absolutely no seriousness towards creating additional infrastructure by way of constructing flats, which otherwise would have helped in saving huge money being given to the hotels and owners of private houses to meet the requirement of the employees in both the capital cities”, sources regretted.
It is pertinent to mention here that at present Estates Department has a total of 3167 quarters in Jammu and 1248 quarters in Srinagar which are grossly inadequate to meet the requirement of the employees, who are entitled for the Government accommodation as per the laid down norms.
They disclosed that in the year 2009 a decision was taken at the highest level in the Government for going vertical by constructing multi-storied structures at Jawahar Nagar in Srinagar and Gandhi Nagar at Jammu for which even the formulation of concept plans was started. However, despite lapse of seven years nothing is visible on ground.
“What to talk of initiating work on ground even Notice Inviting Tenders for construction of multi-storied structures have not been floated till date despite the fact that both these projects were discussed in each and every meeting convened on the subject of creating productive assets for the Estates Department”, sources informed.
Similarly, there was proposal for construction of flats at Sidhra for which even land was identified but later the plan had to be shelved for some reasons as a result of which creation of additional accommodation by the Estates Department received severe set-back, they further informed.
According to the sources, while taking serious note of issue of acute shortage of accommodation for Government employees, the then Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had on July 31, 2015 ordered constitution of a high-level committee for making recommendations for effective utilization of land sites presently available with the Government for building infrastructure.
The committee headed by Principal Secretary, Planning and Development Department and comprising of Administrative Secretaries of Estates, Finance, Home, Roads and Buildings and Revenue Departments was directed by the then Chief Minister to submit its recommendations by September 1, 2015 for consideration and approval of the Government.
However, this committee has yet not submitted its recommendations as a result of which making Estates Department self-sustained by creating productive assets has remained a distant dream, sources said, adding “the level of non-seriousness towards overcoming the shortage of accommodation can be gauged from the fact that several officers of the Estates Department are not even aware of formulation of this high-level committee”.
“The slackness towards identification of suitable sites and then clearing all requisite formalities is notwithstanding the fact that completion of multi-storied structures is a time consuming exercise”, sources said, adding in the absence of suitable sites, the Estates Department has started construction of some flats on the available land inside the already established enclaves at BC Road and Sarwal.
However, the plan of construction of 64 flats at Old Ahata Amar Singh could not materialize till date due to directions from the High Court.
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