Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, Nov 21: While about fifty percent of the Government offices in Mendhar Sub Divisional headquarter are housed in the private buildings, the work on Mini-Secretariat being constructed in Mendhar town has been abandoned for the last about six years.
Interestingly, this abandoned building is being used by some people of the locality to keep their cattle and also stock fodder for them. Despite repeated requests by some prominent people of the area to resume work on this important building project, the concerned agency, PW(R&B) has failed to initiate work on this project and complete it. The locals fear the building could be misused by militants for their activities as happened in Poonch during terrorists attack.
The sources said that the agency had been given 18 months time for the completion of this building but it has consumed more than six years of time on it and the completion is not apparently visible even during next one year. And if this building remained neglected for some more years, it may be converted into ruins.
Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Mendhar, Rahul Yadav when contacted said that he was not well aware of the reason behind so much delay but he maintained that court has also recently directed to complete the building shortly. He claimed that the work on this project would be resumed shortly with the provision of some funds.
Executive Engineer, R&B Poonch, Satish Bhagat told the Excelsior that this three- storey building project with the cost of Rs 14 crore was handed over to R&B by the Government some years back. He said after completion of revenue related formalities and land acquisition process, initially the work was started with pace. The Government provided only fifty percent of the funds (Rs 7 crore). The balance amount of Rs 7 crore is yet to be paid by them. He said due to non-release of funds, the work has been delayed on the project.
Bhagat further disclosed that a local contractor from Poonch, Ghulam Nabi Mir was engage to execute the work and he has utilized huge amount from his own resources for the completion of nearly 90 % of the work. His liability is yet to be cleared. If hardly Rs 3 crore is provided at this stage, the building would be completed shortly. He hoped that R&B would receive amount shortly and the work would be resumed on this important project of Mendhar Sub Division.
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