Budgets are not merely financial documents; they are roadmaps for development, signals of Government intent, and, most importantly, instruments meant to transform people’s lives. The Budget 2024-25 for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was projected as one such transformative roadmap. It impacted almost every critical sector-tourism, industry, health, water supply, urban development, power, housing, and culture-reflecting an understanding that J&K’s challenges are multidimensional and require a comprehensive response. Yet, nearly two dozen key announcements from that budget remain unimplemented, confined to files and official speeches. This gap between promise and performance is a serious threat to J&K’s development trajectory.
A closer look at the stalled projects reveals that the budget was, in fact, well-conceived on paper. It acknowledged the structural realities of J&K’s economy. With limited revenue generation options, tourism remains the backbone after agriculture. Recognising this, the budget announced district tourism centres, the development of Duggar Dani village as a mock cultural hub, and other tourism-linked infrastructure. Similarly, the proposed Tawi Barrage and pollution abatement projects were not cosmetic initiatives but critical interventions for water management, urban sustainability and environmental health. Master Plans for all 78 cities and towns were meant to provide the legal and planning backbone for future growth. Industrial estates were envisioned to absorb the growing youth workforce and reduce dependence on Government jobs. Healthcare was addressed through the promise of operationalising AIIMS Awantipora. In other words, the budget attempted to cover sustenance as well as growth.
However, intent without execution has little value. Tourism offers the clearest example of this failure. Last year’s terror incidents and natural calamities have already inflicted heavy losses on tourism and agriculture. In such a scenario, delaying tourism infrastructure further weakens the sector that sustains thousands of livelihoods. J&K is already lagging behind other states in creating new tourism products and experiences; prolonged inaction only widens that gap. Urban development presents an even more alarming picture. The non-finalisation of Master Plans is not a minor procedural delay-it is a fundamental bottleneck. In the absence of approved Master Plans, no major Central Government development project under any scheme can receive approval. This single lapse has a cascading effect, stalling housing, transportation, commercial infrastructure, and smart city components. Ring roads alone cannot transform urban spaces. People need affordable housing, organised commercial areas and integrated business solutions. Without planning frameworks, even well-funded schemes become impossible to execute.
The Tawi Barrage symbolises the culture of endless extensions. Conceived as a game-changer for Jammu’s water security and urban landscape, it has seen deadline after deadline pushed forward. Such delays lock up substantial public funds without delivering benefits. The same is true for smart metering and the reduction of AT&C losses in the power sector. Despite repeated announcements and reforms on paper, winter power curtailments expose how little has changed on the ground. Industrial development is another area where rhetoric has raced far ahead of reality. Negligible progress on land development and infrastructure of 46 industrial estates has left these estates as notional entities. Delays here have direct social consequences, fuelling frustration and migration.
This continued delay underscores a pattern where even high-priority, nationally significant projects fail to meet deadlines. Small decorative works or scattered minor projects cannot alter the social, economic or urban landscape of a region. Only large, well-executed interventions can. The broader question is whether anyone is tracking outcomes. Despite much-hyped e-governance systems and the BEAMS portal, the reality suggests weak monitoring, poor interdepartmental coordination and near-zero accountability. Whether this stems from complacency or systemic inertia, the onus ultimately lies with the Government. These are not ordinary lapses; they involve substantial public money getting locked, unutilised or eventually surrendered, while public aspirations are once again deferred.
No region can develop on announcements alone. Budget speeches may generate headlines and applause, but transformation begins only when projects are executed within defined timelines. The current situation is a wake-up call. J&K needs a robust mechanism to monitor every budget announcement, fix responsibility, enforce deadlines and penalise non-performance. Without drastic corrective measures, the development story of J&K will remain confined to files and speeches-while the region continues to fall behind its peers.
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