* CS asked to submit proposal for creation of new infra
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 2: Taking serious note of the concern expressed by his Cabinet colleagues from the Congress party, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today issued directions for the release of adequate funds to clear the liabilities of the private industrial units, which have stopped repair of transformers of the Power Development Department (PDD) for inordinate delay in making them payments for the works executed during the past one and half year.
Sources told EXCELSIOR that soon after the Cabinet decided the routine administrative agenda, Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture, Raman Bhalla and Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma raised the issue of prevailing power crisis in Jammu region and said that situation has turned worse because of increase in transformers damage rate and inordinate delay in repairing the same.
“Due to scorching heat the transformers damage rate has increased considerably in Jammu but the Power Development Department has been unable to get the same repaired within shortest possible time”, sources said quoting Ministers having told the Cabinet.
They also informed the Chief Minister, who is also holding the power portfolio, that on one side the pendency period of under repair transformers in the workshops of Power Development Department has increased due to inadequate infrastructure on the other side the private small scale industrial units, which were repairing large number of damaged transformers, have stopped the work due to non-clearance of their liabilities”.
“Though the industrial units made a number of representations to the Minister of State for Power, Development Commissioner Power and Chief Engineer yet they failed to clear the liabilities on the ground that the department doesn’t have sufficient funds”, sources said further quoting the Ministers.
They again informed the Chief Minister that due to prevailing situation people in many areas of Jammu were being compelled to remain without electricity for several days due to delay in repair of transformers.
Responding to the issue raised by the Ministers, Chief Minister directed the Planning and Development Minister, Ajay Sadhotra to immediately release adequate funds to the Power Development Department for clearing of liabilities. “The situation has to be eased at any cost”, Mr Omar remarked.
Soon after the directions of the Chief Minister, the Planning Minister called the meeting of Commissioner Secretaries of Planning and Development and Power Development Departments, sources said, adding the Commissioner Secretary PDD was directed to submit a formal proposal in this regard, which is likely tomorrow.
The Cabinet also had discussion on the report on creation of new administrative units and other infrastructure in the vital sectors. “The Chief Minister was of the opinion that since Government was focusing on consolidation of the infrastructure during the past four years time has come to give attention to the creation of new infrastructure wherever needed”, sources said.
As the report on creation of new administrative units was not before the Cabinet, Mr Omar directed the Chief Secretary, Mohd Iqbal Khandey to have a meeting with the concerned Administrative Secretary to get a detailed note prepared for placement before the Cabinet, sources informed, adding the Chief Secretary was also asked to work out infrastructure requirement in other sectors like health and education in consultation with the concerned Administrative Secretaries and submit comprehensive proposal for consideration of the Cabinet.
Sources informed that Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control also demanded establishment of courts of Additional District and Sessions Judges strictly in accordance with the workload and population.
“There are several areas of Jammu where situation demands opening of courts of Additional District and Sessions Judges as such rational approach has to be adopted in this regard”, Mr Sham told the Cabinet.
Earlier, the Cabinet approved upgradation of the post of Joint Development Commissioner (Works) as Development Commissioner. He will have administrative and financial powers of major head of the department. He will be Incharge of Planning, Monitoring, Quality Control and Technical Supervision of various sectors of R&B, PMGSY and other non-engineering departments, which have their own technical wings and execute huge civil works.
Moreover, the Development Commissioner Works will coordinate working of Chief Engineering on the analogy of the Development Commissioner Power. The Chief Engineer R&B and PMGSY will route their proposals with regard to the planning, monitoring and implementation of the projects through Development Commissioner Works.
The Cabinet also gave sanction to the establishment of Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge at Sopore and creation of 14 posts including post of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Junior Scale Stenographers, Nazir, Reader, Civil Ahlimad, Criminal Ahlimad, Copyist etc.
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