Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 6: In order to provide much-needed succor to Jammu and Kashmir, which was badly ravaged by the devastating floods in the month of September last year, World Bank has agreed to initially provide Rs 1500 crore assistance for rebuilding of damaged infrastructure in four key sectors.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that high-level World Bank team, which visited different flood hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir early last month and thereafter submitted detailed report to the Union Finance Ministry, has conveyed to the Union Government its consent to provide Rs 1500 crore worth assistance to Jammu and Kashmir.
“The World Bank has identified four key sectors in its report for immediate assistance so that concerned authorities of Jammu and Kashmir could give necessary impetus to the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure in these areas”, sources said while disclosing that World Bank had also sought formal requisition from the J&K Government for accepting this assistance.
Following consent of World Bank, the Union Finance Ministry wrote to the State Government and few days back Finance Department of the State Government formally conveyed to the Ministry that it was ready to accept the assistance and utilize the same in the sectors identified by the World Bank, sources said.
In response to a question, sources said that World Bank has fixed ceilings out of Rs 1500 crore agreed assistance for Roads and Buildings, Power, Irrigation and Flood Control sectors and for strengthening of Disaster Management Authority of the State and utilization would be strictly as per this ceiling.
“This sector wise assistance has been decided by the World Bank on the basis of ground level assessment of damages made by its team early last month”, they said, adding “now, the World Bank has conveyed to the J&K Government that it’s team would again visit the State next week to hold detailed deliberations with the officers of the identified sectors “.
During the meetings, the concerned officers would be communicated the ceilings with the direction for prompt furnishing of schemes after prioritizing the works, which the State Government intends to complete on emergent basis, sources further informed, adding the assistance would be given to State through Union Finance Ministry and further disbursed through the Finance Department of J&K Government.
It is worthwhile to mention here that EXCELSIOR in its edition dated February 8, 2015 had exclusively carried a news-item mentioning that World Bank has found several sectors worth for assistance under its various programmes and schemes.
Responding to another question, sources said, “World Bank team has made detailed mention about other flood-hit sectors in its report and more assistance is likely in near future as J&K still needs help keeping in view enormous losses suffered during the devastating floods”.
“Generally it takes much time to prepare a report of this nature, however, the World Bank understanding needs of the people and urgency for it to be addressed made the things move faster”, sources said.
“The offer to provide Rs 1500 crore assistance establishes the keenness of the World Bank to extend help to the State in order to build back its damaged infrastructure besides developing disaster resilience, factoring-in local demographic, geographic and climatic aspects”, they added.
It is pertinent to mention here that 19-member World Bank team headed by Sourabh Dhani conducted extensive visit of flood hit areas of both the regions of Jammu and Kashmir like Srinagar, Udhampur, Poonch-Rajouri, Reasi and different parts of South and North Kashmir for on spot assessment of losses.
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