How intricate and complex is the system of building new roads that would connect under-developed hilly areas of the State is exemplified by the mess that has been created in building the Bhaderwah-Bani-Basohli road project started in 2003. Utility of this project has been fully established with the project planners who claim that it would also serve as an alternate to the existing road connectivity from Punjab to Kashmir valley via NH1. The projected road is purported to connect Pathankot, Dalhousie and Chamba and also Doda and Kishtwar on final leg to Srinagar. It is a tough terrain and rocks pose serious challenge to the engineers. As we find, work is being done by piecemeal and some patches have been taken up for completion. The project is of constructing an all weather double-lane road with black topping. The importance of the road lies in the fact that it will run through a backward and cut off area. Being a hilly track, its valleys command scenic beauty though many physical challenges also. Started in 2003, the project was supposed to be completed by 2015. But the construction agency, namely Border Road Organizations extended the date by two years and 2017 was fixed as new date line. According to latest reports, even this date line cannot be maintained and 2019 would be the new date for the completion of the project.
It is painful to point out that local administration has not been responding to the urgency of cooperating with the construction agencies in a manner it should. We learn that the biggest hurdle in speeding up the project is the illegal encroachment of land by vested interests which include influential political leaders and personalities. They are unwilling to vacate the encroachment because the lands belonging to the Government and illegally encroached upon by individuals cannot be compensated. Thus acquisition of land for double lanning of the road is hampered and lies in limbo. The subordinate revenue staff that is responsible for keeping the record and producing it for necessary action is behaving in irresponsible manner. In all probability they are overawed by politically well connected persons who have made encroachments and as such are avoiding intimating the status of the encroached lands. It is more than two years that acquisition of land is hanging fire and this has been one of the primary causes of delay in completing the project under discussion. At the same time, compensation for some of the acquired land which had no dispute about it has been paid. But there are many pending cases and the original land owners are pressing for payment.
Actually this project has been suffering on account of lack of coordination among various agencies. The Border Road Organization which is supposed to undertake the project is not allowed to work independently in some ways and the State PWD maintains remote control of the entire project. BRO has been doing its job of asking the Revenue authorities to clear the encroachments and confirm acquisition of land after compensation is paid to the concerned. The project is hanging fire and one feels that if this situation of non-clearance of encroachment continues, the project may take much longer time than one can imagine. We cannot accuse BRO in that case because the fault would be that of the Revenue Department and not the BRO. In its turn, the BRO has been successfully doing the job assigned to it and the organization is impatient to continue completion of the entire project as early as possible if the bottlenecks created by the Revenue and PWD are removed. Significantly, the MLC of the region did not mince words when asked the reason for delay of the project. He said that some influential persons who have encroached upon the land are unwilling to vacate encroachment and the Government is soft-paddling on the issue. Comparing this project with the Mughal Road project, we find that in the latter case, no inordinate delay was allowed and none of the bottlenecks were entertained. We expect the Government to have a uniform policy in regard to land acquisition. No project can be delayed owing to disputes about the land acquired or the price of the land. The Act provides that payments in disputed cases have to be made under protest and the recipients reserve the right to seek redress of their grievance through proper quarters. It means that the land needed has to be given in the possession of BRO and the dispute if any on the price tag will be resolve by the court. In case of illegal encroachments, a single notice from the Magistrate will put an end to encroachment within hours provided encroachment is illegal. Therefore it is the responsibility of the Government to take adequate legal steps and break the impasse. Important and crucial projects like the one under discussion cannot be left to the sweet will of a handful of politically influential but socially irresponsible people. The law of the land must move and move with a firm hand against obstructionists.
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