Pitiable condition of roads, lanes due to sewer link work
JAMMU, June 16: Notwithstanding Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah’s repeated thrust on coordination among different agencies in executing developmental works, various departments and agencies have been indulging in the blame-game instead of working in a coordinated manner to complete the ongoing sewer line laying works within the stipulated time-frame and without creating difficulties for the people.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that when the NBCC and ERA started sewer line laying works in the length and breadth of the summer capital a committee under the chairmanship of Divisional Commissioner was constituted to ensure proper coordination among the project executing agencies and other departments like-Public Health Engineering, Power Development, Jammu Municipal Corporation, Roads and Buildings and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
“The coordination was imperative in order to complete the works within stipulated time-frame that too without creating difficulties for the people and causing damage to other infrastructure like drinking water supply lines and cables of the BSNL but the situation on ground clearly indicates that coordination was never exercised by the concerned agencies”, sources said.
“Instead of following the mantra of the Chief Minister, who is very keen to ensure that people don’t face any problem during the execution of developmental works and developmental activities don’t become health hazards for them, the concerned agencies be it NBCC and ERA or other Government departments have been preferring to shift blames on each other for the delay in the sewer line laying works and restoration of dug-up roads, lanes and by-lanes”, they said.
Following detailed report in this news-paper regarding the failure of NBCC and ERA to complete the works in stipulated time-frame, Senior General Manager of NBCC, Hem Raj rang up EXCELSIOR and held the Public Health Engineering (PHE) and BSNL authorities responsible for stretching up of works beyond the stipulated time-frame.
“When we carry out under-ground works we never know what sort of difficulties will crop us and create hurdles”, he said, adding “in majority of the areas our work is getting stretched because of most irrational network of drinking water pipes and cables of the BSNL”.
“In order to ensure that drinking water pipes or BSNL cables don’t get damaged we have to slow down our works”, he further said, adding “as far as compaction of the roads is concerned, the same has to be delayed for rainy season for better results and avoid sinking of roads”.
Contrary to the claims of the Senior General Manager of NBCC, Chief Engineer of PHE, B R Dogra said, “before the start of work by NBCC or ERA, we provide them detailed information about network of our supply lines so the question of their works getting delayed due to PHE Department doesn’t arise”, adding “it is easy to put blames on others instead of fulfilling own responsibility”.
To a question, Mr Dogra said, “despite prior identification of drinking water supply lines, our network is suffering damages at numerous places”.
Not only PHE Chief Engineer even the Chief General Manager (CGM) of the BSNL, R K Koul was not ready to accept the claims of NBCC and ERA.
“They never gave us information about their works in advance. If they furnish us information about the start of work well in time we can depute our engineers to guide them about our cables network”, he said, adding “both these agencies are starting works at their will and whim and without any prior information to us that is why our cables suffer extensive damages”.
“They are putting their JCBs into service during the night hours and we come to know about the same only in the morning that too from our subscribers, whose connections get disturbed due to sewer line laying works”, Mr Koul further said.
“What to talk of coordination, even some agencies like Jammu Municipal Corporation are not bothered to fulfill their responsibilities”, sources said while disclosing that even in those areas where NBCC or ERA had completed the works about one year back the Municipal Corporation has not started black-topping.
When contacted, Commissioner JMC, Kuldeep Khajuria said, “ERA has given us an amount of Rs 27 lakh for the restoration of dug-up lanes and by-lanes. I have already issued instructions for the start of work and in some areas the same has also been taken up”.
In response to a question, Mr Khajuria admitted that Corporation would stop black topping of lanes and by-lanes after about a week or 10 days in view of approaching monsoon season when black-topping work is not advisable”. The admission of JMC Commissioner clearly indicated that majority of the dug-up lanes and by-lanes would remain in dilapidated condition till ending August and people would continue to suffer.
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