There are as many as twenty three major developmental works in Jammu district hanging in the balance and that also for quite some time, mainly due to funds problems. This remains so even after the active intervention of the previous Governor N N Vohra who had directed for releasing of additional funds to the tune of Rs. 50 crore while chairing District Development Board meeting on July 26. The problem, however, is that the additional amount sanctioned has fallen short of the requirements and it is feared that only a few developmental works could see the light of the day in terms of being “declared” as completed.
Fits and starts approach and fragmentary resolution of the likes of problems under reference lead to nowhere excepting trying to hold one but not helping slipping two from the hand. Now which of the few among the incomplete projects out of the 23 would be completed depends upon the outcome of the process of identifying such projects in consultation with the concerned departments. In our opinion, none of the projects are of any less utility or importance as being related to different key sectors and hence could hardly afford to wait for some type of bailing out exercise by the Central Government.
The State Government, a few days back, had identified and made an assessment of the total amount required to see those developmental projects which because of paucity of funds had either been nearing completion but not complete, half ready but as much incomplete and those which had been abandoned altogether and had urged the Centre to sanction and release Rs. 4000 crore as “one time” Central funds to complete such projects. Whether these 23 projects too are among the identified ones for one time package is not known.
If the sanctioned amount of Rs. 50 crore is sufficient only for a few projects to get complete, what plan or strategy, the Government is envisaging to embark upon to mop up the gap between the required funds and the very limited resources of managing the same for the other projects.
The tremendous hardships such incomplete projects bring in their wake, for the ultimate sufferers, the public hardly needs any emphasis as the concerned projects comprise blacktopping of roads, completion of water supply schemes, new buildings for different departments, and various rural works. Inseparable feature of almost all developmental and infrastructural innovative work projects is their never keeping up the fixed timeline. In the instant case, that practice has its writ large in terms of having already missed the deadlines while others are all destined to jump the same in the near future. The issue is how to tackle this complex problem but the Government hardly seems to be much concerned about it.
Among the 23 pending projects, astonishingly there are some projects which could not pull out at all as no funds were made available for them though all paper work, sanctions and approvals were given but in the absence of sure and assured funds being there, they have so far remained on papers only. We expect a blue print and an outline to be actively prepared by the Government so as to work out for a paradigm shift in its policy towards designing, planning, financing and completing the developmental works in Jammu and Kashmir State.
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