How to take on the peculiar syndrome of keeping projects languishing, half completed or even left midway due to some main reasons , firstly that of funds shortage and secondly, complete indifference and a sort of deficiency of interest in completing of such projects by the bureaucrats who initially indulge in over enthusiasm in sanctioning the projects after having a bird’s eye view of project reports and other paper work without minutely going deep into whether adequate arrangements were made for smooth flow of funds as and when needed to keep going, with full desired pace and tempo, the work on such projects to finally have them completed.
The reports of Planning, Development and Monitoring Department reveal that six main Departments of the State namely Public Works (R&B), Public Health Engineering, School Education, Higher Education, Youth Services and Sports, Health and Medical Education, Tourism and the like accounted for two third of the total unfunded burden and the projects in these 6 departments alone account for nearly Rs. 4000 crore. Whether all such projects figured in the priorities of the Government and if not, then who accorded approval to them must be found out.
We have already reported about the sanction of Rs.8000 crore as “one time exception” having been approved by the State Administrative Council for completing the incomplete projects but what is needed more is that a comprehensive policy with stringent measures be evolved to check , rather pre-empt languishing projects syndrome in future. This amount of Rs.8000 crore had to be arranged by means of raising a loan through a new company named as Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation. We have, through these columns, been stressing upon the accountability aspect and once that is taken care of and very effectively, most of the administrative loopholes and weaknesses would be adequately addressed including the syndrome under reference combated. Accountability and responsibility in State Administration are apparently going to be at Nadir day by day though Governor Satya Pal Malik is all determined to bring about a paradigm shift to break the inertia.
It is noteworthy that the High Powered Committee comprising Administrative Secretaries of Finance, Planning, Public Works and Public Health Engineering Departments has cleared over 1000 projects of different sectors vis-a-vis funding through the said Corporation. That such a problem does not recur in future leading afterwards to pressing of panic buttons, there is absolutely no focus on evolving a comprehensive policy with stringent measures. The popular Government as and when formed, should be bound to see to it that projects were not treated as mere trifles and a means to gain short lived appeasement of people by legislators and politicians without any regard to where from the funds would come to make those projects see the light of the day.
Bureaucracies, unfortunately, very often succumbs to the whims and pressures of some law makers or want just to remain in their “good books” and hence knowingly plunge the State in such a fix where shortly after a small measure of work, the project is left out to its uncertain fate and such cumulative position presents a broader “languishing syndrome”. We know, completing of thousands of unfinished projects is not an ordinary assignment and that too, within a time frame fixed by the Governor. We, however, wish High Powered Committee injects high power of sense of responsibility in those whose duty is to put a halt to initiating projects sans properly sanctioned and earmarked funds and the existing pending ones to be completed as planned afresh.
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