Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 14: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Summit Nayyar seeking directions to the respondents for proper development of Mantalai-Sudh Mahadev tourist spots, Division Bench of State High Court comprising Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Sanjay Kumar Gupta today directed the respondents to file detailed affidavit indicating as to whether the plans for all the three projects have already been approved and the amount available for execution of the same.
After hearing Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi with Advocate Sumit Nayyar for the PIL, DB observed, “status report dated 25.07.2018 has been filed pursuant to the directions dated 22.05.2018. In the status report only a general statement is made with regard to the utilization of the funds, which had been sanctioned for the integrated development of the tourist spots of Mantalai, Sudh Mahadev and Patnitop”.
“An amount of Rs. 97.82 crore appears to have been sanctioned by the Government of India in this regard on 29.09.2016. As per the status report, only an amount of Rs. 19.56 crores has been spent as on July 2018”, the DB further observed, adding “with regard to the project of Mantalai, it is stated that the NIT has been issued and the work is in progress, which is to be completed by the year 2021″.
On this, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi submitted, ” the work in progress reflected in the status report is only with regard to the Yoga and Wellness Centre, which are only one out of eighteen works for which an amount had been sanctioned in favour of the authorities”, adding “with regard to the tourist spots at Patnitop, it appears that no progress has been made even when an amount of Rs. 9.02 crore had been sanctioned. According to the status report, the work appears to be stalled on account of some objections raised by the Forest Department”.
On perusal of the status report as also the reply filed by the respondents, DB found that the same does not give details as to what steps have been taken by the authority in regard to other projects for Mantalai and Sudh Mahadev and directed the respondents to file a detailed affidavit indicating therein that as to whether the plans for all the three projects have already been approved and if they were already approved the amount is available and the reasons behind non execution of all the three works simultaneously.
“With regard to the proper utilization of the existing infrastructure of Dhirendra Brahamchari, a stand has been taken by the official respondents that the same would be renovated/ upgraded. The Tourism and Planning Departments are directed to file an affidavit as to what further action has been taken in this regard”, the DB said.
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