Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 18: The High Court today sought response to the reports of completion of construction of Qazigund-Srinagar Highway and widening of Pantha Chowk road after handing it over to National Highway Authority of India.
The direction of filing of response to the reports of completion of these projects has been passed by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Sanjay Dhar.
The report has been filed after the Court on previous hearing had expressed its concern for not taking effective progress and steps by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on maintaining the Srinagar -Jammu National Highway.
Court had also sought reports over the maintenance of Udhampur to Ramban and Banihal to Ramban sections of National Highway but no report about these sections have been placed before the court till date.
The reports revealed that construction work of the road has been completed and handed over to NHAI. The Court directed the petitioner to file his response to the report of Authority within one month.
The four laning of Udhampur-Ramban Section of NH-1A (Now NH-44) from Km 67.00 to KM 89.00 and Km. 130.00 to Km. 151.00 under NHDP Phase-II (design Length = 40.07 Km) was allotted to M/S Gammon India Private Limited for an amount of Rs.1709.99 crores.
The letter of intent was issued on 23.09.2015 with completion date as 27.12.2018. The scope of work includes 8 Nos., major bridges, 59 Nos., minor bridges, 492 box culverts, 2 Nos., of tunnels length 888 m and 794 m.
The delay as expressed by NHAI in the execution of the work because of the orders passed by the High Court at Jammu in the case of 7 villages located from Nashri to Ramban Section 10197 Km, and the land was made available to the contractor from the months of May to July, 2018.
The additional land for Chanderkot Bypass was yet to be made available to the contractor as the land acquisition proceedings are under process. There are 69 structures in the ROW still existing, due to which the work could not be taken so far.
There are also some vigilance cases for the felling of trees in Chanderkot area and they are still not cleared, which is also causing delay in the execution of the work as per the NHAI.
With regard to Ramban to Banihal Section which is four laning of NH-1A (Now-NH-44) from Km 131 to Km 187.00 under NHDP Phase-II (Design Length = 32.10 Km) was allotted to M/s HCC Limited for an amount of Rs.1783 crores.
The letter of intent was issued on 23.09.2015 with completion date 26.06.2019. The scope of work includes 6 Nos. of major bridges, 21. minor bridges, 302 box culverts, 6 Nos. of tunnels with total length 3007 m and the land for construction of tunnel had partially been made available to contractor on 09.12.2016 and completely on 14.09.2017.
In view of the report, Project Director Ramban had approached the DPR consultant to work on the proposal in line as advised by the expert committee along with the financial proposal for approval of competent authority especially for the stretch where cutting of hill slope is yet to be undertaken by the contractor.
The existing condition of road stretching right from Udhampur to Chenani and Chenani to Banihal, is precariously shabby and that the concerned Contractors are not maintaining the said roads as per the required level and in this regard authorities were supposed to inform the court over progress for maintaining these roads. However, no such information in the shape of status report has been filed before the court.
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