*Started 6 yrs back, 110 meter span bridge remains unfinished
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 10: In a testimony of poor planning in the Roads and Buildings Department, three kilometer long road has remained incomplete despite lapse of 11 years and expenditure of Rs 1.36 crore. Moreover, work on just 110 meter span bridge started more than six years back is yet to be completed much to the disappointment of vast population, which was shown the dream of proper connectivity by initiating these two projects.
To provide assured road connectivity to five villages of Kotli, Megani, Tali, Doda and Mangoite of Udhampur district, a project for construction of three kilometers long road from M I Room to Megani was proposed in September 2005 by the Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, Division Udhampur under loan assistance from NABARD at an approved cost of Rs 1.36 crore. The project was targeted to be completed by March 2008.
While submitting the project report to the Superintending Engineer PWD Circle Udhampur, the then Executive Engineer had recorded that the people would provide land voluntarily for construction of road and that the earthwork had already been executed for construction of half of the proposed road.
However, the audit scrutiny by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in February 2013 of records of Executive Engineer showed that the officer executed work on 2.5 kilometers of the road at a cost of Rs 1.36 crore from 2006-07 to 2011-12. However, the work on 500 meter road length at the take off point could not be taken up for want of clearance of stretch of land by the Army authorities as the area was under their occupation.
“This indicates that the Executive Engineer had furnished wrong information about availability of land to the department and had also failed to ensure acquisition of encumbrance free land before execution of work on the road project”, the CAG said. When the Auditors pointed out this in the audit, the Executive Engineer in December 2014 stated that the road connectivity to the general public of the area could not be provided due to non-settlement of the land issue falling under the alignment of road with the Army authorities. However, the reply was not found convincing as the land was to be acquired before taking up execution of road project.
“Thus wrong reporting by the Executive Engineer about availability of land and also failure to ensure encumbrance free land before execution of work resulted in unplanned execution of road project at a cost of Rs 1.36 crore. Further, non-construction of portion of 500 meters road length at the take off point adversely affected free flow of traffic”, the CAG said, adding “the road has failed to establish connectivity of the concerned villages with the National Highway”.
Another testimony of poor planning is bridge over Anji nullah in Reasi district, whose fate is hanging in balance during the last over five years that too after an expenditure of Rs 2.54 crore.
To provide road connectivity to the populace of Anji, Suketar and Kayala villages, the Chief Engineer R&B allotted in March 2010 work for construction of 110 meter span single lane deck type steel plate girder bridge over Anji nullah to the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation at a cost of Rs 4.36 crore for completion by March 2012.
During scrutiny of records in February 2012 it came to fore that project was approved on the basis of a Detailed Project Report submitted in June 2008 by Executive Engineer R&B Reasi, which included proposed alignment of the bridge and approach roads.
After allotment of work, the JKPCC proposed in February 2011 construction of bridge 250 meter downstream on the ground that the proposed site had no direct approach road and the only available approach was a fair weather track along the Anji nullah which remained blocked during rainy season. Besides, access to the existing approach passed through the forest area and involved private land.
However, despite joint inspection of the site by the officers of the R&B Department and JKPCC the proposal was rejected. The JKPCC submitted in September 2011 a cost offer of Rs 4.73 crore and started in December 2011 the work on the project. Having realized that completion of the project required the clearance of the forest land, the department belatedly approached the Forest Department for the clearance, which was pending as of December 2014.
Apart from delays due to non-availability of the approach road to the site, the work on the project was also held up due to non-availability of the approach road to the site. “Thus failure of the department to take into account the aspect of non-availability of approach roads, involvement of the forest and private land at the time of preparation of DPR resulted into unfruitful expenditure of Rs 2.54 crore besides non-completion of the project during the last five years”, the CAG said.
“The action of the project authority defeated the objective of raising loans for the scheme and taking up the work was contrary to the NABARD guidelines which stipulate for project formulation only after proper survey”, the CAG said.
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