J&K views seriously delay in Devika project
Engineers, others to face action
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 2: In a first action of its kind after Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has initiated the process to impose whopping Rs 2 crore fine on Bridge Gopal Constructions (BGC) New Delhi engaged with the work on River Devika Rejuvenation Project and cut the cost from around Rs 173 crore worth work might be assigned to another company.
Simultaneously, the Government has also initiated action against the Government officials including the Engineers for extreme delay in execution of the work on the project of national importance which was taken up with the efforts of Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, who represented Udhampur-Doda seat in Lok Sabha for second consecutive term.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government had invoked several clauses of allotment of work as the construction company Bridge Gopal Constructions owned by Vipul Garg despite repeated reviews by the Union Minister, Jammu and Kashmir Government and district administration failed to speed up the work.
“Process has been initiated by the Housing and Urban Development Department of the Jammu and Kashmir Government to impose Rs 2 crore worth fine on the construction company in the first phase,’’ sources said.
They added that action is also being taken against some of the Engineers in senior ranks for their laxity towards getting the work expedited.
Further, the Government has decided to invoke one more Clause to allot work to another Construction Company and cut the same amount from the Bridge Global Constructions for delaying the project.
The Jammu and Kashmir Government will come out with action taken against the Bridge Global Constructions New Delhi to send message to the agency executive work on River Devika Rejuvenation Project, a sacred river, in Udhampur district as well as other construction works in the Union Territory that delay in work is not going to be taken lightly.
Sources said the work had to be executed in 18-24 months time at around Rs 173 crore Devika project. Even counting COVID year as zero year, repeated review meetings by Dr Jitendra Singh, Jammu and Kashmir Government and the administration revealed that the executing agency had failed to make much headway in the project.
This was despite the fact that the district administration had made available the land and Right of Work (RoW) to the executing agency well in time and there was regular monitoring of work in the meetings.
Only about a month back i.e. on January 30, Dr Jitendra Singh had reviewed work on Devika project in Udhampur with senior officers of the Housing and Urban Development Department and took serious note of delay. Prior to that also, he had been regularly reviewing work on the project as it was got sanctioned by him after lot of efforts.
The project had been designated as that of national importance.
“Action against the executing agency and some of the officials will send a message that now when Jammu and Kashmir has become a Union Territory, the contractors and officials can’t escape if they show laxity,’’ sources said.
The need to restore the sanctity of holy River Devika and beautify its banks was being long felt for a long which fructified only in the month of February 2017 when due to persistent efforts of Dr Jitendra Singh, the Government of India sanctioned Rs. 173 crore and included it in the “National River Conservation Project”.
The project included creation of sewerage network of 128.41 kms along with 3 STPs (Sewerage Treatment Plants) so as to prevent pollution of river Devika and at the same time ensure that no untreated sewerage reaches the holy River. In addition, the DPR also proposes protective fencing on both the sides of river Devika, screens at different Nallahs, de-silting of river Devika, construction of bathing Ghat, renovation of existing Ghat, construction of cremation Ghat, parking in front of cremation Ghat, landscape and other civil work, etc.
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