Excelsior Correspondent
Udhampur, Oct 14: District Administration, Udhampur, has initiated a unique and innovative project “Rahat” for construction of more than 110 foot bridges near schools and hamlets in remote areas aiming at facilitating the movement of students, local inhabitants and livestock in rainy season and to eliminate loss of human and livestock life and property due to flooding of rivulets every year.
The project has been initiated after 5-month long participatory planning process, formulation of designs and estimates, technical consultations, field visits and a series of meeting at various levels. A project team headed by District Development Commissioner, Udhampur, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, along with Asstt Commissioner Development, Dhanantar Singh, X-En REW Mehmood Ahmed, BDOs and AEEs, carried out extensive planning and public consultations for the mammoth project.
In Phase-I work has been started on 51 bridges while 59 more bridges will be initiated later this month under Phase-II. Apart from construction of 110 villages in 2 Phases in current financial year another set of 27 bridges will be constructed in Phase-III beginning April 2016.
DC Udhampur Dr Shahid informed that bridges were planned in view of frequent complaints of accidental death, livestock perishing and students unable to attend schools in hilly areas due to immediate flooding of small rivulets having huge catchment areas. A number of students and nomads were washed away in past years. The project was designed to secure education for students in these hilly area and secure the livelihood of inhabitants.
The project has been planned and executed through resource mobilisation and convergence at district level without going for the traditional planning which could have taken quite longer time. A major portion of investment is borne on MGNREGA out of the 20% district budget equivalent placed at disposal of DDC and gap funding done by other resources since 60:40 ratio of material and labour component has to be maintained under MGNREGA.
The DDC approached various Parliamentarians, MLAs, Departments, Banks, PSUs, Organisations for Gap Funding for enabling the administration to construct bridges under MGNREGA. Approximately Rs 9.50 crore has been provided under special MGNREGA funds while Rs 2.00 crore Gap Funding from various resources.
Member Parliament and Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh committed Rs 25 lakh gap funding for 12 bridges, MoS Finance & IT Pawan Gupta Rs 15 lakh for 7 bridges, MLA Chenani Rs 15 lakh for 8 bridges while the DDC provided Rs 45 lakh under Innovation Fund for gap funding of 23 bridges and Rs 10 lakh under Untied Grants for 5 bridges. On similar lines gap funding for remaining bridges is in pipeline under MLA-CDF, Sub-Plans, SSA, CSR and timber contribution.
Project “Rahat” will directly benefit more than 21,000 students and an overall population of more than 1,45,000 souls. It is expected to give a major boost to education in hilly areas.
The bridges include Concrete Bridges, Steel Bridges and Wooden Bridges in various areas depending on feasibility, span and cost. Dr Shahid approached DRDO Dehradun and HESCO for prefabricated steel bridges designed by DRDO as spin-off technology for civilian use which is durable and cost effective.
It is pertinent to mention here that Dr Shahid as DDC Reasi along with ACD Joginder Rai, DFOs Sayeed Nadeem Hussain and Rafi Ahmed Khan constructed 70 foot bridges for schools in remote areas through convergence of resources.
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