Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 26: As majority of the ongoing mega projects of Jammu have been grappling with one or the other difficulty and may not become reality if the problems continue to exist, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah is going to review these projects on August 1, 2014 and subsequently initiate corrective steps.
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has decided to review the ongoing mega projects of Jammu in a meeting to be held at Civil Secretariat here on August 1 in order to resolve the issues confronting these projects and give them required push so that their completion is ensured without any further delay.
Up-gradation of Jammu Airport, development of artificial lake at Jammu, cable car project, Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex, Suchetgarh Border Tourism, Golf Course Sidhra, 200 beded Maternity Hospital Jammu, Legislative Complex Jammu, sewerage scheme for Jammu, multi-level parking at General Bus Stand, Industrial Estate Ghati Kathua and Bikram Chowk-Convent School Flyover would come up for discussion during the meeting, sources informed.
“As far as up-gradation of Jammu Airport is concerned, no significant progress could be made till date despite the fact that this project is of much importance for Jammu”, sources said, adding “all the issues confronting expansion of Jammu Airport were required to be resolved between the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Civil Aviation but the same didn’t happen and the fate of the project continues to hang in balance on one pretext or the other”.
In response to a question, sources said, “the State Government has spent several crores of rupees till date to meet the conditions of the Army but work on the project could not be started as now the Defence Estates Organization has raised a contentious issue”, adding “the Defence Estates Organization now wants the civil administration to implement the agreement reached between Army and State Government in 1956”.
“The Defence Estates Organization wants civil administration to get 1200 kanals of land at Beli Charana, which was once under the occupation of Army, mutated in its favour before giving work permission for the expansion of Jammu Airport”, they said.
As far as development of artificial lake at Jammu is concerned, sources said, “no decision has so far been taken about funding the diversion of 13 city nullahs and protection works on both sides of River Tawi without which artificial lake cannot be created”.
In response to a question, they said, “these works were not kept in the initial project for the obvious reasons and now the same have become hurdle in construction of artificial lake”, adding “those at the helm of affairs in the Irrigation and Flood Control Department at that time deliberately kept these imperative works out of the project’s purview in order to rush through the project and take credit for the same”.
As reportedly exclusively by EXCELSIOR in its edition dated July 25, cable car project is also grappling with shortage of funds. “Till adequate funds are placed at the disposal of the concerned authorities they cannot go ahead with the construction of this another ambitious project of Jammu”, sources said.
“The slow pack of work on Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex is also a matter of serious concern”, they said, adding “keeping in view the present pace of work the restoration of entire historic Mubarak Mandi Complex would take several decades”.
“Similar is the fate of sewerage scheme for Jammu and multi-level parking at General Bus Stand”, they said, adding “while sewerage scheme is being implemented albeit at snail’s pace, the project of multi-level parking at General Bus Stand has not taken off till date although announcement in this regard was made several years ago”.
It is pertinent to mention here that the multi-level parking at Bus Stand Jammu was given nod by the State Government on April 27, 2011 but till date the same remains only on papers.
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