*Rs 1500 cr blocked due to delay in civic elections
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 24: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today charged previous National Conference-Congress Government of executing works worth about Rs 3000 crores without inviting tenders and adhering to codal formalities but reiterated that the State Government has kept provision of 33 per cent in annual plan of all districts for clearing liabilities of previous dispensation amounting to over Rs 9000 crores.
Addressing and chairing District Development Board (DDB) meetings of twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch at Rajouri today, Mufti Sayeed said the Government has inherited liability of over Rs 9000 crores including Rs 3000 crores on account of works executed without tenders and codal formalities by the previous coalition Government of NC and Congress.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Chief Minister reiterated that the Government would clear the liabilities and had reserved one-third component within the Capital Expenditure Plans for the purpose. The liabilities will be cleared in phased manner.
In significant announcement, Mufti Sayeed said two health institutions in every Assembly constituency of the State will be developed as Model Health institutions.
Education Minister Naeem Akhter, chairman of DDB for Rajouri and Works Minister Altaf Bukhari, chairman of the DDB for Poonch were present in the meetings among others.
Asserting that creation of NITI Aayog at the Centre has changed the pattern of funding and ensured that each State gets its due share in Central taxes, the Chief Minister said the new structured scheme of financing district plans will help in completion of unfinished projects at the earliest.
Continuing attack on the previous Government, Mufti Sayeed pointed out that delay in holding of civic elections by the NC-Congress regime has blocked Rs 1500 crores worth Central package, which would have gone long way in developing towns in remote districts under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for small and Medium Towns and other schemes.
It may be mentioned here that immediately after taking charge of the Government, Mufti Sayeed and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, who holds charge of Urban Development Minister, had directed the Election Department to set the process into motion for holding elections to civic bodies.
The civic elections were due to be held in March 2010 but were not held during entire tenure of previous NC-Congress coalition Government. The Municipal elections were held in January 2005 during Mufti Sayeed regime after a gap of 26 years. The Municipalities had completed their term in March 2010.
Mufti said he has taken up the issue of creating banking and telecom facilities at cross-LoC trade and travel centres at Chakan-Da-Bagh in Poonch and Salamabad in Uri with Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of External Affairs. He hoped that the Centre will take up the matter in Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting between India and Pakistan.
“The opening up of banking and telecom facilities on both sides of the LoC for trade and travel will boost cross-LoC ties,’’ the Chief Minister said, adding the facilities were must for giving boost to trade and travel between two parts of divided State.
There has been long pending demand of the traders of both parts of divided State to create banking facilities as presently trade is being carried out on barter system, which caused lot of inconvenience to the traders and often leads to problems in calculations.
The Chief Minister announced Rs 10 crores for maintenance of Mughal Road to make it alternate link between Jammu and Kashmir as Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was in bad condition at various places and there were reports that heavy Monsoon rains could lead to closure of the Highway. He directed the Border Roads Organisation to improve critical stretch of Mughal Road from Thanna Mandi to Bafliaz.
He approved special grant of Rs 1 crore for development of Rajouri town.
He said the Government will closely monitor implementation of District Capital Plans to see that allocated funds are utilized in full.
An official handout, meanwhile, said Rs197.94 crore Annual Plan for Rajouri district was approved in the meeting while a Capital Plan outlay of Rs 173.16 crore for district Poonch was passed.
The Chief Minister observed that in the past few years, the State has been found wanting in effective implementation of Centrally-Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) which has deprived the people of the benefits envisaged under these projects.
He said by blending fund kitty of Rs.6,000 crore Central Schemes with Rs. 3,100 crore allocated to Capital Plans by the State, the districts have been granted enough financial resources to create durable assets and ensure every penny is utilized in creating basic amenities for the people living in remote areas of the State.
Laying emphasis upon maximum utilization of funds allocated under District Plans, the Chief Minister said the performance of the officers will be determined by the completion of ongoing projects and successful implementation of various social sector schemes.
Referring to the huge potential of Rajouri and Poonch districts in heritage and leisure tourism, he directed the Tourism Department to focus on creation of wayside amenities at different locations to facilitate the visitors.
He also issued immediate directions to Director Tourism Jammu to take up development of Krishan Chander Park at Poonch as a major Heritage Destination.
Placing high priority on monitoring quality of roads, the Chief Minister called for macadamization of all important road links in Rajouri and Poonch districts. “A Defect Liability Period (DLP) of three years for all contractors has been fixed by the R&B Department for ensuring maintenance of roads,” he asserted.
Besides Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar and Minister for Public Works, Gardens & Parks, Syed Altaf Bukhari, who are the Chairmen of District Development Boards of Rajouri and Poonch respectively, Minister for CA&PD & Tribal Affairs, Ch. Zulfikar, Minister for Transport, A G Kohli, MP, Jugal Kishore, Legislators, Qamar Hussain, Ravinder Raina, Shah Mohammad Tantray, Ch. Mohammad Akram, Javed Rana, Yashpaul Sharma, Vibodh Gupta, Surinder Chowdhary, Dr. Shahnaz Ganai and Sham Lal Bhagat also attended the meetings.
Rajouri/ Poonch DDBs’ major decisions
l Funds to be released for completion of Nowshera College
l Work on roads with BRO and PWD to be expedited; Forest clearance issues to be sorted out
l Resolving the issue of land compensation to make Abdullah Bridge in Rajouri functional
l Rs. 1 crore placed at disposal of DC Rajouri for development of Rajouri town
l ITI to be established at Kotranka, Darhal in Rajouri
l Completion of Community Hall at Rajouri
l Rs. 3.00 crore for facilitating completion of Mini Secretariat, Poonch
l Development of Park at Jallian, near Budha Amarnath, Mandi
l Development of Krishan Chander Park, at Poonch by Tourism Department under heritage tourism
l Development of Poonch Fort
l Surankote & Mendhar Girls’ Higher School to be developed as Model Schools
l Examining viability for revival of Cement Plant at Sathra, Mandi
l Feasibility for ropeway from Loran to Tosha Maidan
l Taking up reconstruction of 132 KVA Transmission Line from Draba to Chandak on new alignment
l Renovation of Town Hall, Poonch as Heritage building
l The work on construction of Sakhi Maidan-Kalai Road, Mendhar, to be taken up under NABARD.
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