Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 18: While significant progress has been made in the execution of sewerage works in North-Western part of the Jammu city, numerous problems are being encountered by the agency responsible for carrying out such works in the Eastern part and this would have adverse impact on the entire ambitious project. In the prevailing scenario, there seems to be no end to the multiple problems being faced by the common masses.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that several sub-contractors engaged by the NBCC for carrying out sewerage works in Eastern part of the Jammu (old city) have either deserted the work or not inclined to start the work because of some unknown reasons and due to this work on several parts could not be taken up even five years after the allotment of Rs 129 crore project of the old Jammu city.
“In the Eastern part of Jammu city, sewerage work is presently going on only at one place—between Deputy Commissioner’s office and Gujjar Nagar”, sources said, adding “the NBCC is only getting work on laying main trunk line executed while as sewerage works in interior lanes and by-lanes of old Jammu city could not be started till date mainly due to desertion of work by the sub-contractors”.
“Though the NBCC authorities have been claiming that they are finding it difficult to get the work in interior areas started because of huge underground network of utilities particularly of Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, the UEED, which is nodal agency responsible for coordinating the shifting of utilities, claim that NBCC has not yet come forward with the formal requests in this regard”, sources said, adding “UEED is also claiming that even in those areas where there is clear corridor, the NBCC has failed to take up the work on one pretext or other”.
When contacted, Hem Raj Sharma, General Manager of NBCC confirmed that they could not start sewerage work in interior lanes and by-lanes of the Jammu city and attributed the same to delay in shifting of utilities. He informed that work in Hotel Riviera area was stopped on the request of people, who had started facing problems following digging of road. Similarly, the work in J P Chowk area could not be started because of non-diversion of traffic.
In response to a question, he said, “keeping in view the numerous difficulties, we cannot specify any time-frame within which the work allotted to NBCC would be completed”.
Rejecting the claim of NBCC General Manager about timeframe for the completion of project, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Pardeep Gupta said, “there is a time-frame for the completion of work both by NBCC and ERA”, adding “in the contract signed with the NBCC there is a clause whereby we can impose penalty on the project executing agency in case it fails to complete the work within specified timeline”.
Though significant progress has been made in the laying of main trunk lines and laterals in the North-Western part of the Jammu city where project is being executed by Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), there is no end to the problems being faced by the people as in several areas where the sewerage lines were laid in the recent past were again dug-up by the sub-contractors.
Sources said that New Plot-Janipur, Sarwal and Subash Nagar roads had to be dug up again because the already executed works suffered damages at some places due to rains. “There is clause in the contract with the sub-contractors that in case the sewerage line suffers any damage during the course of execution of work the same has to be repaired by the sub-contractors only”, sources added.
When contacted, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Economic Reconstruction Agency, Saurabh Bhagat said, “the task assigned to us would be completed by June 2013 and thereafter we will start giving house-connections in phased manner”, adding “the Sewerage Treatment Plant at Bhagwati Nagar would be ready by ending November and thereafter our entire focus would be on completion of sewerage line works in remaining areas”.
According to the Roads and Buildings Department, 20 kilometers road length by ERA and six kilometers by NBCC is yet to be handed over for black-topping. “The Divisional Commissioner has issued clear directions to both the agencies to hand-over the roads where the work has already been completed by ending September so that by middle of October these roads are black-topped”, sources said.
Whatsoever the claims of different authorities over delay in start of work, completion of already taken up work and digging up of roads in some areas once again, the fact is that people have been facing numerous difficulties during the past several years. Each and every agency responsible for the completion of project and those supervising the execution of the same should ensure that people’s difficulties are reduced at the earliest.
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