ADB’s second tranche of USD 110 million loan is planned to bring about big improvement in urban services in two premier cities of Srinagar and Jammu. Two million people, the estimated population of two cities, will be provided with facility of solid water management, drainage and internal transport. In fact schemes on these projects are already underway after the initial agreement was signed in December 2012 with the release of USD 42.2 million. The sprawling cities are bursting at seam and management of urban services has become of utmost priority. In particular, both the cities are choked by heavy motor transport creating traffic jams, pollution and emission of dangerous smoke. The two cities need flyovers, subways, footpaths, parking slots, parks and space for malls and drainage etc.
While these needs have to be met on priority basis to give a shape of modernity to two cities, we have apprehensions that given the absence of coordination among various departments involved with building of infrastructure in the cities, there could arise many obstructions in carrying on the developmental work smoothly. We would suggest that the Government issue instructions to all concerned departments to form a coordination committee that will lay down the procedure of undertaking various facets of the projects under consideration. It is no use starting the work on digging the roads and stopping it halfway under the pretext that the PWD or PDD has raised some objections which take months and years to resolve. That would be a defeat of the entire exercise and should not be allowed to happen.
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