Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 1: In yet another evidence of paralytic bureaucracy in Jammu and Kashmir, State has failed to come up with the Action Plan for the routine maintenance and cleanliness of completed Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) roads within the timeframe fixed by the Union Ministry of Rural Development. In this way, the State has explicitly sent a message that it does not want to check accidents, which take place due to poor condition of the roads.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Rural Connectivity Division of Union Ministry of Rural Development vide its communication dated September 24, 2014 addressed to J&K Government had asked for preparation and submission of Action Plan for routine maintenance of the roads completed under Centrally sponsored scheme of PMGSY.
Like other States of the country, J&K was also directed to keep the provision of cleanliness of the roads for first year and next five year under this Action Plan. Similarly, the Ministry had also asked for preparation of plan for rural roads other than PMGSY roads and sharing of the same on priority basis, sources said.
In order to sensitize all the officers and officials engaged in rural road development programme, some action points were also identified by the Ministry to be taken in Jammu and Kashmir.
While linking the maintenance and cleanliness of PMGSY roads with the Swachh Bharat Mission of the Prime Minister, the Ministry had asked the State Government to organize the meetings at the level of State Rural Roads Development Agency and Project Implementation Units with the contractors responsible for carrying out the maintenance in order to mobilize the men and material in a campaign mode.
It is pertinent to mention here that under PMGSY, all the States are constructing rural roads with first five year maintenance built in the construction contract itself. In order to maintain and keep the PMGSY roads clean beyond first five years, thrust was laid on preparation of Action Plan.
However, the concerned bureaucrats of J&K failed to realize the importance of routine maintenance of rural roads and continued to sleep over the directions and this was taken seriously by the Union Ministry, which vide another communication dated October 9 conveyed resentment over the slackness of J&K.
Accordingly, the Ministry again reiterated direction for preparation of Action Plan for routine maintenance of completed PMGSY roads in a campaign mode and plan for rural roads other than PMGSY and submission of the same latest by October 13, 2012.
“Even the second communication failed to receive any serious attention from the concerned authorities and exercise towards preparation of Action Plan failed to take off”, sources informed, adding “now, the Union Ministry has not fixed any deadline and has simply remarked in its letter dated October 22 that no definite plan of J&K is received”.
“It seems that Union Ministry has understood that J&K officers are not going to mend their ways and important issues have no priority for them”, sources said.
The non-serious approach towards submission of Action Plan for routine maintenance of completed PMGSY roads is notwithstanding the fact that majority of the accidents on PMGSY and other rural roads are taking place due to their poor condition.
“All those roads, which were sanctioned under Phase-I and Phase-II of the PMGSY after its launch in Jammu and Kashmir in 2001 have completed five years as such they cannot be maintained by the contractors, who had built the same and special focus is required on their routine maintenance”, sources said.
When contacted, a senior officer concerned with PMGSY roads, on the condition of anonymity confirmed failure to submit timely Action Plan to the Union Ministry. He, however, said that required information was being collected and shortly the plan would be submitted.
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