* Parliamentary Panel’s concern too ignored
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 5: Notwithstanding statements from different official quarters, the State Government in general and Housing and Urban Development Department in particular is groping in dark about diversion of 15 Jammu city nullahs, which are the main source of polluting sacred River Tawi and major impediment in giving practical shape to the artificial lake project.
The non-serious approach towards this vital issue is continuing even after the directions from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment, which during its recent visit to the City of Temples had expressed shock over the appalling condition of River Tawi to which all these nullahs flow and stressed for cleaning of the water body on war footing basis and in a time-bound manner.
During the past several years, the growing pollution in Tawi, which is also called Surya Putri, is being mainly attributed to flowing of 15 nullahs into the river and whenever discussions are held on this subject, the thrust is laid on diversion of nullahs. However, everybody in the State Administration, Divisional Administration and Housing and Urban Development Department is groping in dark about giving practical shape to the diversion of nullahs, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
This can be gauged from the fact that no formal Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared till date for diversion of 15 nullahs—13 on the right bank of River Tawi and two on left bank. For the discussion sake, the Urban Environment Engineering Department (UEED), which is under the administrative control of Housing and Urban Development Department, had in the year 2009 prepared tentative estimate of Rs 23 crore for diversion of nullahs. Recently, when the subject again hogged attention of State Government in the light of controversy over artificial lake these estimates were revised at approximately Rs 47 crore.
“Even no step has been initiated for engagement of consultant despite the fact that the same is first move towards preparation of Detailed Project Report—the document which is required to be placed before any agency for seeking funding. Moreover, nobody in the State administration has reached to any decision as to where these nullahs would have to be diverted and what would be the mechanism for the same”, they added.
“Before deciding whether these nullahs are to be diverted to Sewerage Treatment Plant at Bhagwati Nagar or a separate STP would be created for these nullahs, repeatedly laying thrust on diversion aspect in the official statements assumes no significance”, sources regretted.
Stating that Housing and Urban Development Department is completely in dark about giving practical shape to the proposal about diversion of nullahs, sources said, “the intensity of the non-seriousness can be gauged from the fact that even no concrete decision was taken in the recently held District Development Board meeting of Jammu”, adding “after some MLAs raised this issue, it was simply stressed that steps in this regard should be geared up”. However, what steps can be taken in the absence of any direction or without Detailed Project Report remains a million dollar question.
It is shocking that District Development Board failed to pass any specific direction on the subject despite the fact that recently Parliamentary Panel on Environment had expressed shock over the appalling condition of River Tawi and remarked that the river has virtually been rendered a garbage dumping site.
Besides being major source of polluting sacred River Tawi, these nullahs are also creating obstruction in giving practical shape to the artificial lake project. “Unless these nullahs are diverted, artificial lake cannot be created”, sources added.
An officer of the Urban Environment Engineering Department told EXCELSIOR on the condition of anonymity that formal directions were never issued to UEED from any quarter about preparation of Detailed Project Report by engaging any reputed consultant. “Whenever discussions are held on the subject we are asked to submit tentative estimates”, he added.
“How can anything move without any proper planning and direction from the top”, he regretted, adding “all what is being stated in the official meetings carries no importance in the absence of any ground work”.
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