Diversion of funds released for New Legislature Complex
*R&B awaits Administrative Approval for restart of work
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 4: Though the deadline fixed for ascertaining reasons for diversion of funds released for New Legislature Complex at Jammu is already over yet the committee of officers has not submitted its findings to the Government. Moreover, the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department is still awaiting Administrative Approval for restart of work on the project, whose fate is hanging in balance during the past so many years.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
On November 19, 2024, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Abdul Rahim Rather reviewed the physical and financial progress on New Legislature Complex. He also discussed the issues hindering the execution of the project. In the meeting, the R&B Department, which has taken over the project from Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC), assured the Speaker that all necessary measures will be taken to complete the project as early as possible.
The fate of the project was also discussed in a meeting of the Council of Ministers held on November 22, 2024 and accordingly a decision was taken to get the issue of diversion of funds investigated for necessary action against the erring officers of JKPCC.
Vide Government Order No.79-PW (R&B) dated March 11, 2025, a committee of officers was constituted for conducting an inquiry to ascertain the reasons for diversion of funds released for construction of New Legislature Complex at Jammu and fixing the responsibility in this regard.
The committee comprising of Engineer-in-Chief, Public Works (R&B) Department, Director Finance R&B Department and Chief Engineer Public Works (R&B) Department, Chenab was directed to submit its report to the Administrative Department within a period of 10 days—by March 21, 2025.
“Even more than one month after the lapse of deadline fixed by the Government the committee has not submitted its report”, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “the committee has deliberated on the subject and even analyzed the related documents but the report has not been finalized till date”.
Meanwhile, the R&B Department, which has been entrusted the task of completion of leftover work on New Legislature Complex, is still awaiting Administrative Approval from the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for resumption of work.
The Council of Ministers, in its meeting held on November 22, 2024, had also given in-principle approval to the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) of New Legislature Complex but with the direction to get the DPR technically examined through some independent agency, sources informed, adding as directed, the DPR was submitted to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu, which after critical analysis of different components, technically vetted the DPR and forwarded the same to the R&B Department.
“Thereafter, the revised DPR was submitted to the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for accord of Administrative Approval, which is still pending”, sources further said while expressing optimism over completion of pending procedural formalities within this month only.
Following this, the R&B Department will float the tenders for different components of the project as till date only super structure of New Legislature Complex has been completed and mechanical, electronic, electrical and integrated security system related works are yet to be started.
Expressing inability to specify any time-frame for the completion of the project at present, sources said, “it would be only after the floating of tenders and receipt of response that some timeline can be conveyed”.
It is pertinent to mention here that the foundation stone of the New Legislature Complex was laid by the then Chief Minister of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir in the month of April 2011. The five storey building will have parking at lower and upper basements with capacity of parking for at least 150 cars/light vehicles and 100 scooters/ motor-cycles. It will have direct bridge to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
