No DPR to be approved without connectivity provision
*Glaring instances come to fore during B2V Prog
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 19: Shocking it may sound but it is a fact that many vital Government buildings and bridges in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir don’t have proper approach roads thereby causing immense problems to the general public and not serving the purpose for which they were constructed after spending huge money from the exchequer.
Now, serious note of this aspect has been taken by the Government, which has made it clear that no Detailed Project Report will be accorded approval if the connectivity is not made part of the same.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that during visit to some districts of the Union Territory the Administrative Secretary of the Public Works (R&B) Department noticed several Government buildings which have been constructed by spending several crores of rupees but lack proper road connectivity.
Quoting one such example, they said that a huge building for the Poonch Degree College has been constructed but it doesn’t have proper road connectivity thereby establishing that the Higher Education Department had not paid serious attention towards this vital aspect at the time of preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) as a result of which students as well as faculty members are facing hardships in reaching the college.
Similarly, there are several buildings of the Health and Medical Education Department, which even several years after their construction don’t have proper connectivity due to which the patients, attendants and doctors are put to immense difficulties.
The ambulances and other vehicles carrying patients are compelled to pass through the bumpy roads to reach the health centres and this clearly establishes that those who had formulated the DPRs for the health centres either intentionally or due to non-serious approach ignored the construction of approach roads, sources said.
“There is a long list of the departments whose vital buildings lack proper road connectivity because of absolute non-seriousness on the part of those who had formulated the Detailed Project Reports”, they further said while disclosing that there are numerous bridges in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions which have been constructed but without any focus on providing proper approach roads.
They further disclosed that during Back to Village (B2V) Programme the visiting Government officers received numerous complaints from the common masses about lack of proper connectivity to several vital infrastructure created by the Government departments.
“Non keeping of the provision for construction of approach roads in the Detailed Project Reports of the buildings and bridges at the initial stage leads to increased burden on the Government exchequer as construction of approach roads several years after inception of projects results into cost escalation”, sources further said, adding “the departments generally nurse an impression that Public Works (R&B) Department will have to construct the roads at its own despite being aware of the fact that ultimately funds have to be provided from the Government exchequer”.
“Many Government buildings related to the Health and Medical Education Department, Higher Education Department and other departments and bridges have been/being constructed utilizing Capex, Centrally Sponsored Scheme and Languishing Project resources without approach roads which is causing problems to the general public and not delivering public satisfaction after completion of mere projects”, the R&B Department has mentioned in a circular addressed to all the Administrative Secretaries.
It has impressed upon all the Executive Engineers associated with the construction of these buildings/bridges to get Detailed Project Reports prepared for the approach roads and submit to the concerned project authority/department for sanctioning and release of funds.
“Moreover, the Administrative Departments while sanctioning the building projects shall include approach road for Government infrastructure in the Detailed Project Report in future”, the R&B Department said, adding “no such projects be accorded technical sanction or administrative approval without connectivity/ approach road/bridge wherever applicable”.
When contacted, Principal Secretary to Government, R&B Department Shailendra Kumar said, “this is the problem in respect of large number of vital Government infrastructure”, adding “it is hard to comprehend as to how and why connectivity issue was completely ignored at the time of formulation and approval of the Detailed Project Reports”.
However, he said, “we are trying out level best to resolve the approach road/connectivity problem as early as possible so that people don’t face difficulties any more”.
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