CS seeks fresh detailed reports from all deptts by July 10
Mechanism being evolved for effective use particularly by PRIs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 15: Multiple Government assets created by spending whopping money several years back are either unutilized or under-utilized across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as no serious attention was paid to ascertain the reasons behind the same and to take a timely decision for putting the same to the effective use.
Now, Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta has realized the importance of the issue and directed all the departments to furnish detailed reports in this regard by July 10, 2021 as a proper mechanism is being evolved for utilizing these assets particularly by the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that successive Governments in Jammu and Kashmir always adopted construction driven approach as a result of which huge assets were created without keeping in mind the actual requirement and without proper planning about their utilization.
Quoting some examples, they said, “Education Department got several school buildings constructed even in those areas where there was no requirement of the infrastructure but ignored such areas where schools were in dilapidated condition as a result of which assets remained unutilized or under-utilized for years together”.
Similarly, Social Welfare Department created infrastructure in several far off areas but actually the same could not be put to use because of numerous reasons. Moreover, Health and Medical Education Department constructed Health Centres without ascertaining the actual requirement of the infrastructure and without making other arrangements like manpower and approach roads in advance.
“There are numerous dispensaries of the Animal and Sheep Husbandry Department and stores and godowns of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department which are lying idle for the reasons best known to the concerned authorities”, sources further said, adding “even assets of the Tourism Department created in far-off areas for facilitating the tourists are lying idle mainly for want of proper planning to put the same to effective use”.
Disclosing that there are numerous instances which indicate that infrastructure was raised without keeping in mind the actual requirement, sources said, “this not only led to Government assets remaining unutilized or under-utilized but also blocked the money spent on the creation of infrastructure without any fruitful results for years together”.
“Majority of these unutilized and under-utilized assets have also suffered damages during all these years for want of proper maintenance but no serious attention was ever paid by the respective departments to evolve a mechanism for their proper utilization”, they further said.
During the past few years, the successive Governments only collected lists of underutilized and un-utilized assets from the concerned departments but thereafter no serious attention was paid towards ensuring their proper utilization, sources said while pointing towards the circular instructions issued in this regard, adding “such lists only gathered dust in the official files for want of follow-up action”.
Recently, the issue of asset maintenance and asset utilization came up for discussion in the meeting of the Administrative Secretaries chaired by the Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, who observed, “there are multiple Government assets which are either unutilized or under-utilized”.
Accordingly, he directed that a detailed survey be undertaken across the Union Territory and the departments should obtain details of such Government assets which are not being utilized and can be put to use by other departments. “A certificate to this effect that no asset is under-utilized or unutilized be obtained from all the Heads of the Departments”, sources said quoting the direction of the Chief Secretary.
According to the sources, Dr Mehta has further directed that a report on asset utilization should also be obtained from the Deputy Commissioners for authentication. The Chief Secretary has fixed a timeline of July 10 for the preparation of the list of assets of each department.
“The Government is in the process of evolving a mechanism so that under-utilized or unutilized assets are put to effective use particularly by all the three-tiers of the Panchayati Raj Institutions”, sources informed, adding “the PRIs don’t have their offices and other accommodations at present”.
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