*Delay in releasing money by JKSC, contractors halt construction works
Goldi Sharma
JAMMU, Apr 8: Unlimited delay in releasing contractors’ money by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council (JKSC), the contractors of the four different stadiums of District Kathua of worth Rs 9.28 crores halted the construction works which were at its finishing stage.
Well placed sources in the Council informed Excelsior that four rural stadiums as well as playfields of District Kathua namely Sports Stadium Billawar, Stadium at Mara Patti of Basohli and Playfields of village Barwal and Budhi in Block Barnoti were announced by the Government to be developed with the cost of Rs 9.28 crore in the year of 2019 and also declared that the projects would be completed by the end of financial year of 2019-20, but after lapse of sufficient time, the projects is still lingering on.
These stadiums, however, are at its final stages where 90 percent of the construction works have been done by the contractors but their money is still not released by the premier body of the sports, consequentially the contractors abandon the works of the stadiums at its final stage due to paucity of funds.
They (contractors) repeatedly asked the officials of the premier body of sports to release their money, so that the remaining works (finishing works) can be completed as soon as possible and the same will be handed over to the Council but to no avail, said a contractor on the condition of anonymity.
Since the construction works were started in these stadiums, three to four bills have been submitted before the Council by the contractors so far, but the JKSC has cleared only one bill of each contractor which makes 20-25 percent of the allocated funds of the projects.
“Against the allocated money of Rs 45 lakh, the contractor had got the tender of construction works of playfield at Barwal in Rs 36 lakh in the year of 2019. Most of the works of the playfield have been completed few months back except some ceiling work of the pavilion is pending that too due to shortage of the money,” said sources.
The sources further said that the construction work of Budhi stadia of Rs 67 lakh was also completed by the local contractor but delay on part of the JKSC in releasing pending money, the local contractor is not handing over the stadium to the Council.
It was the same saga of the other two stadiums of hilly areas of Kathua district including Sports Stadium Basohli at Mara Patti of worth six crore and playfield at Billawar of Rs 2.25 crore. Both the projects were approved under languishing projects by the High Level Committee in the month of December 2018 and March 2019 respectively.
“However, the Government of J&K had released all the money to parental department after got approval from the High Level Committee which was constituted by then Governor of J&K Satya Pal Malik in the year of 2019, but unlimited delay on part of the J&K Sports Council, the works of these Stadiums are delaying unlimited,” said high rank official of the Council.
At playfield Billawar, the blacktopping of the roads which connecting the stadium is going on full swing while sports stadium of Basohli is almost completed but owing to delay in releasing the money by the Council, the contractors are hesitating to hand over these playfields to the Council.
Follow our WhatsApp channel