Cost escalates to Rs 150 cr
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, May 12: Started over seven years ago with the cost of Rs 104.40 crores, the work taken up on new J&K Legislature complex at Civil Secretariat in Jammu by the Jammu Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) agency, has jumped at least five deadlines while the completion is no where in sight.
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Interestingly, while moving on snail’s pace, even during ‘BJP-PDP’ regime, this important Jammu centric project faced `rough-deal’ as the funds remained suspended to this project for about two and half years from June 2015 onwards up to December 2017, despite the fact that Legislative Assembly Speaker was from Jammu. Sources said that Kashmir based ‘ruling coalition’, tried to slow down the ongoing work on this project while, most of the Legislators from Jammu region acted as just mute spectators.
Official sources told the Excelsior that with the unnecessary delay on the work, the cost of project has been escalated to Rs 150.58 crores from initial project cost of Rs 104.40 crores. It is again, interesting to observe that the executing agency (JKPCC) revised the project cost in December 2016 and sent the proposal to the Government, but that approval still awaits Government nod. Funds to the tune of over Rs 60.32 crore said to have been spent on this project so far. The approval for the escalated cost from the State Government/ Governor’s Administration is yet awaited. This is yet another main reason behind the delay in this important Jammu project.
Sanctioned during 2011, the foundation stone for the project was laid by the then Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah in April 2011. Thereafter, the JKPCC was asked to prepare project report and design of this big project with sufficient space for parking of vehicles of Legislators, Ministers and staff besides media-persons covering the proceedings of the Upper as well as Lower House of the Legislature. Two years’ time was given to the executing agency to complete this project, that is, in April 2013, but even after 8 years the work is still incomplete. This project has jumped at least five deadlines so far but the fate of the project still hangs in balance, the sources maintained.
The sources further revealed that this 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. The old structure may be dismantled with the passage of time.
Dy General Manager, JKPCC Unit-II, Pardeep Sharma, the project head when contacted said that project was initially started on the conceptual design but later complete DPR and design was prepared by involving a Delhi based consultancy, CES Pvt Ltd. He said the work was started on this project in April 2012 with the initial project cost of Rs 104.40 crores. Due to poor flow of funding and suspension of funding for about two and half year during PDP-BJP regime from June 2015 , the project work was badly affected.
The DGM further disclosed that many features were upgraded later and advanced installation of equipment was advised by the top officials in the Government and therefore, the project cost was also increased. Now, the most advanced electro-mechanical and sound system is being installed. There is provision of lifts as well in the building. Massive parking space for the Legislators and Ministers besides Legislature staff has been created.
Sharma stated that JKPCC had submitted proposal with regard to escalated project cost of Rs 150.58 crores to the Secretary to Govt Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs department, J&K Govt on December 8, 2016, but the proposal has not been cleared so far. He said as and when the proposal is cleared, the pace of work will be expedited on the project. Due to these reasons, the work was delayed on the project, the DGM said.
“We have received funds to the tune of Rs 85.57 crores so far from the concerned authorities. Works worth over Rs 78.49 crores have been completed and a very few are going on. Entire structure is complete and outer and inner plaster work has been completed on the building. Floor work is going on besides some electrical works. Many additional facilities and features have been added to this new complex as compared to the old one. The complex has been equipped with modern fire fighting / alarm system, lifts, digital lighting control system, FACADE lighting, LAN, CCTV, PAVA, AV system and solar lights besides rain water harvesting and treatment systems. In the Assembly Hall, space of 500 people for Press gallery and visitors gallery has been created. It would have capacity for 130 members in the main Assembly Hall. Council Hall will have capacity of 80 members. At present floors and staircase works were in progress in the complex,” the DGM revealed.
Managing Director JKPCC, M Raju when contacted and asked for the reason behind the delay of this project, said slow flow of funding and addition of some new features and modern gadgets/ equipment in the later stage, remained the main reasons behind the delay on the completion of this project.
He said main structure and super structure have been completed and finishing works were in progress. When asked about massive cost escalation on the project the MD said, modern electro-mechanical and sounds systems have been added besides several other modern features in the complex and it has raised the project cost to over 150 crores. But the funds are yet to be released by the Government. He said if the funds were made available to JKPCC, the project will be completed by September, 2020.
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