Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 29: As the lanes and link roads in Srinagar city present a dilapidated look due to the failure of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) in ensuring their macadamization, the same is being attributed by the officials to the lack of funds and manpower in the Corporation.
The information about the same was given out by the Srinagar Mayor, Junaid Azim Mattu in a series of Tweets in which he said that the SMC has a deficiency of Rs 39 crores for macadamization and nearly Rs 15 crores for other works of roads and lanes in Srinagar while also underlining the severe dearth of manpower in City Roads Division of SMC.
The Mayor said that as per the 74th Amendment, the R&B City Roads Division was transferred to SMC last year, which, he said, includes nearly 1800 kms of lanes, by-lanes, and link roads.
“For the last fiscal year, funds were made available to SMC for macadamization at the end of the macadamization season (practically in August). Due to this, only a fraction of the macadamization works-plan could be completed in 2020-2021 despite our frantic efforts,” he said.
The Mayor said that a large portion of the previous year’s macadamization works plan is being currently executed to a tune of nearly Rs 20 crores. “These are funds carried forward for macadamization from last year from SMC’s pre-existing funding heads, he added.”
He said that this carried-forward works-plan was ready in Dec 2021 and tendered well in time in March-April, so that, he said, macadamization could start in May-June. There was a two-month blanket boycott by contractors “citing inflation in raw-material costs rendering rates unfeasible.”
As per the Mayor, after the LG’s direct intervention in June, the rate schedules were revised “now ensuring that the tendering process was responded to.”
He said that the works were immediately re-tendered and are currently either in execution or allotment phase around the city. “We are now left with a deficiency of nearly 39 crores for macadamization of lanes, by-lanes and link roads and 15 crores for soling/metalling of kuccha roads/lanes in Srinagar, he added.”
He said that these proposals are pending approval from the administration and are being followed up. “The existing City Roads Division of SMC (transferred from R&B) is in severe dearth of required officers, engineers, and field staff – enabling it to maintain nearly 1,800 kms of lane/link network in the city,” he said, adding this compounds the challenge.
“The City Roads Division requires an augmentation of at least 70% in terms of manpower and officers. Since most lanes/by-lanes/links weren’t macadamized since 7-8 yrs, their condition has worsened. Aggressive, road-unfriendly snow-clearance has taken an added toll,” he said.
Mattu said that the devolution of power to ULBs has 3Fs – Funds, Functions, and Functionaries. “We sadly transfer functions and functionaries to ULBs in the absence of funds for the transferred departments,” he said, adding this is a universal paralyzing policy flaw and needs to change.
He said that the Corporation is trying to put in place a stage contract within SMC enabling us to conduct urgent repairs and fix pot-holes without any procedural/codal delay. “We are also trying to get funding approval from the administration for 39+15 crores required.”
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