Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Jan 16: Reluctance by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) in handing over Jammu-Akhnoor and Katra-Poni roads to the State Public Works Department (PWD) is delaying commencement of work on four-laning of these two newly declared National Highways.
Even after more than four months since the Union Ministry of Surface Transport’s decision of declaring these two vital roads as National Highway and authorizing the State Public Works Department as executing agency for widening of the stretches as per NH standards, the BRO is not giving up its control on these erstwhile Defence roads, official sources informed the Excelsior.
Delay in handing over of the roads to PWD is holding up the much needed work on four-laning of these two stretches notwithstanding availability of funds for the same by Central Government and setting of a deadline for completion of the projects, sources added.
The Government of India had last year declared Jammu-Akhnoor-Poonch road and Katra-Poni stretch as National Highway 144-A and National Highway -144, respectively besides handing over the maintenance and development of these two erstwhile Defence roads to the State PWD with hundred percent funding by the Centre.
As the BRO remained reluctant in handing over of these two Defence roads to the PWD without officially assigning any reason for the same, sources said that the State took up the matter with higher authorities. On being pursued, sources added, BRO is learnt to have hand over control on Katra-Poni stretch to PWD in next few days but there has been no progress on National Highway 144-A. Even as the PWD has proposed that only Jammu-Akhnoor stretch of NH-144A may be handed over in first phase for the four-laning work, the BRO has unofficially expressed its reservation over the same by citing Defence reasons, sources explained.
Pertinent to mention that State Government had also approached Centre regarding the four laning of the Jammu-Akhnoor road as the same was direly needed in view of tremendous traffic pressure on it. After fully examining the State Government’s memorandum and seeking the views of BRO, the Defence Ministry had submitted the proposal to Union Surface Transport Ministry, which cleared the project in September last.
The BRO had also delayed handing over of the Domail-Katra stretch to the PWD and this was the only reason that work on road widening was held up for several months. Earlier, the Union Ministry of Surface Transport had declared Domail-Katra stretch as the National Highway and later it was extended upto Poni. While the widened Domail-Katra road is almost ready, the work on Katra-Poni stretch has not yet begun because of BRO’s dilly dallying tactics.
Even as the Union Ministry had set the target of two and half years for construction of these two National Highways, the reluctance of BRO is likely to result into missing of the deadline.
Only after the roads are handed over to the PWD, Detailed Project Reports of the plan would be prepared and got approved after which Ministry of Surface Transport will release funds for four-laning of these new National Highways as per the set standards.
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