Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, June 28: A liability of less than Rs 40 crores to the State Forest Department has stalled around 200 road projects worth hundreds of crores of rupees in Jammu and Kashmir State since the last two years.
Official sources informed the Excelsior that despite clearance of several projects by Forest Advisory Committee and payment of compensation also, the Forest Department was not allowing the Roads and Buildings Department to develop the roads till clearance of liability of Rs 39.71 crores on account of other roads under State Sector at other places across the State.
Even as the matter has been brought into the notice of Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed, no solution has yet been evolved with the result that stalled work on roads, mostly in rural and remote belts of Jammu division, is hampering other developmental activities in the affected areas besides escalating the project cost, sources added.
Pertinent to mention here that road network is the foremost requirement for development of any area and a number of belts in Jammu province are deprived of necessary developmental activities because of inadequate road connectivity.
According to the sources, majority of the stalled road projects because of No Objection Certificate by the Forest Department are in Jammu division of the State, particularly in rural and remote areas. Total 170 road projects across State are awaiting Forest clearance because of non-payment of a compensation of Rs 39.71 crores and ratio of such works at Jammu and Kashmir divisions is around 70:30, sources explained.
Besides, sources informed, there are also a number of road projects, which have been cleared by the competent Forest Advisory Committee and required compensation is also paid but the Forest Department is not allowing work on the same because of liabilities on account of other projects. Here again, sources added, maximum such road projects are in Jammu division.
If the R&B is allowed to start work on the projects having NOC, no early decision on clearance of liability on account of other roads will be taken by the concerned department, sources in Forest Department explained while justifying its decision of not allowing work on any of the road projects passing through Forest area.
The issue came up into the notice of Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed after he was apprised by the R&B authorities that work on several roads was delaying because of the controversy with Forest Department. On the intervention of Chief Minister, sources disclosed, the matter is being taken up in the State Cabinet very soon for a final decision in this regard.
When contacted, the Minister for Forests, Bali Bhagat admitted that work on a number of road projects was stalled because of non-clearance of compensation cases by the R&B Department. “I have personally taken up this issue with the Chief Minister who agreed for clearance of the compensation money to Forest Department in one go and the matter is likely to be discussed in the forthcoming Cabinet meeting for which a memo has also been forwarded to the General Administration Depart-ment,” he added.
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