Floods of 2014 brought with it such a ravage that its effects are still reminding us of what magnitude it was especially in Kashmir valley. It devastated infrastructure like bridges, roads, buildings etc in Jammu and Kashmir State and it also is a fact that the Government put in its resources to repair and restore the same backed by the assistance and support of the Central Government. However, monitoring of the reconstruction efforts and works post fury of floods has not been satisfactory at all given the level of restoration of damaged infrastructure. This has resulted, unfortunately even after release of sufficient funds under Prime Minister’s package of 2015 indicating lackadaisical approach adopted by the administrative system.
The only alternative left is extending the timeline of all the works in arrears to March 31, 2019. It is despite the fact that numerous committees of bureaucrats were constituted to ensure proper coordination and restoration of the damaged infrastructure within as shortest time as possible. All the concerned departments were impressed upon to ensure gearing up of their efforts in this respect. Whether for name sake or with realistic purpose, monitoring mechanism too was put in place and that also at the highest level in the Government but after the lapse of three years several Government departments have been found having defaulted in this sphere.
This all is despite availability of reasonably sufficient funds with the departments concerned. Hence the state of affairs depicts ineffectiveness of those at the helm in not getting the restoration works completed within the specified timeframe and even after three years. The departments which have been found “defaulting” are Estates, Social Welfare, Tribal Affairs, Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Fisheries, Agriculture, Horticulture, Planning and Marketing, Forests and Higher Education.
These departments were funded to the tune of Rs. 111.11 crore with the sole objective of restoration of infrastructure damaged in these floods of unprecedented fury.On perusal, it has been found that an amount of Rs. 83 crore only was utilized till March 2018 and thus Rs. 29 crore remained unspent. On the one hand, while general hindrance is cited due to paucity or non availability of funds to complete the works, on the other it is found that even those funds which stood released to these departments remained unspent leaving the affected people in the lurch. This also denotes a piquant situation of deficiency in decisions making mechanism and adopting the policy of deferment, postponement and even shirking responsibilities. This attitude of utter slackness of the authorities amounts to defeating the very purpose of the announcement of the package of the Prime Minister.
However, the Planning and Monitoring Department has revalidated 50 percent of the unspent amount in favour of these departments with the condition that the reckless approach would be given a goodbye and ensure complete restoration of the damaged infrastructure. The last of such works, therefore, have got to be completed, now, by March 31, 2019. The revalidated funds have got to be utilized only for restorative infrastructural works. The important aspect of the instructions are that the works have to be completed within the approved cost, with no overlapping of funds or, least, any costs escalations. Let us hope that now things will move in the desired right direction with invigorated spirit of doing all which was expected to have been done three years before.
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