*Lack of resources, delay in clearances cited as reasons
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 22: Finally, the PDP-BJP Coalition Government has admitted inordinate delay in implementation of decisions taken by the District Development Boards and held the lack of resources and delay in clearances from requisite quarters as reasons behind the same. However, it has yet to come up with the measures required to ensure implementation of DDB decisions in a time bound manner.
The fate of decisions taken in the District Development Boards during the financial year 2015-16 was exclusively highlighted by EXCELSIOR through series of news-items in the month of May this year. It was also brought to the fore that even the District Development Commissioners have been feeling helpless in implementing decisions due to lack of cooperation from different Government departments and bureaucratic impassiveness creating roadblock in developmental activities in several districts of the State.
Now, the Planning and Development Department headed by Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has officially come up with the figures indicating that majority of the decisions taken in the meetings of the District Development Boards chaired by none else than the then Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed are yet to be implemented because of varied reasons.
A total of 486 decisions were taken during District Development Board meetings held in 2015-16 against which 146 decisions were implemented and 340 decisions are yet to be implemented, reads the reply furnished by the Planning and Development Department in the Legislative Assembly in response to the query of MLA from Udhampur, Pawan Gupta, who said that slackness and non-serious approach of the bureaucrats were acting as road-block in implementation of decisions thereby rendering the institution of DDB as ineffective.
“The reasons for the delay in implementing balance 340 decisions can be attributed to lack of adequate resources to fully implement the decisions, delays in establishing technical feasibility/economic viability and inordinate delay in Detailed Project Report preparation”, the Planning Department said, adding “in certain cases, the implementation is constrained by land disputes/forest clearance and much disputes being subjudice”.
What is the fun of taking decisions without keeping in mind the availability of resources remains a million dollar question before the Planning Department? sources said, adding “by allowing DDB decisions to hang in balance for want of funds or other procedural formalities, the Government is making mockery of institution of single line administration and playing with the development related aspirations of the people”.
“If such is the fate of decisions taken in the DDB meetings chaired by the Chief Minister what would be the outcome of decisions taken by the Ministers as Chairmen of the respective Boards is beyond the imagination of anybody”, sources remarked.
It is pertinent to mention here that the concept of ‘single line administration’ was introduced in the State way back in 1976 with the objective to plan, implement and monitor various developmental programme/ schemes at district level itself with the participation of the elected public representatives, officials and non-officials. “Due to non-implementation of large number of decisions the objective of creation of institution of District Development Board has suffered a severe blow”, sources added.
Quoting some examples of departmental heads sleeping over the DDB decisions, sources pointed out that it was decided in the Udhampur DDB meeting held on July 2, 2015 that a small protection dam will be constructed for harnessing the water of river Tawi and Ujh for composite purpose of lift irrigation, drinking water, trout fish rearing and even for a mini-hydel project. But necessary formalities like preparation of estimates of electro-mechanical component and the forest clearance are yet to be completed despite lapse of nearly one year.
Similarly, it was decided in the meeting that issue regarding delayed work of ITI at Ramnagar would be taken up with the Director Technical Education. Though several reminders were issued to Director Technical Education but the Action Taken Report is still awaited. Similarly, ATR is awaited from Registrar SKUAST-Jammu vis-à-vis construction of KVK at Marta Ramnagar.
It was also decided that Sports Stadium at Ramnagar shall be developed but the response from the Secretary Sports Council is awaited despite submission of Detailed Project Report. There are numerous instances, majority of which were exclusively highlighted by EXCELSIOR in the month of May this year, which indicates slack approach in implementation of DDB decisions in almost all the districts of the State.
Though the Chief Secretary, B R Sharma, on the directions of the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, has started reviewing follow-up action on the DDB decisions and commitments made by the then Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the Government is still groping in dark about making available enough funds so that decisions taken in the DDB meetings are not held hostage for want of resources, sources regretted.
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