Jammu : Harsh Dev Singh chairman JKNPP and MLA Ramnagar has strongly condemned the state govt. for the gross abuse of funds, misappropriations and other glaring irregularities in the utilization of huge grants received by it for construction of various developmental schemes from the Asian Development Bank during the last couple of years. He pointed out that more than Rs. 500 crore were provided by Asian Development Bank(ADB) from 2004-05 onwards for construction of roads, bridges and sewerage and drainage projects in different parts of the state but regretted that govt. has failed to show any tangible output on the ground. He said that the developmental schemes sponsored under ADB were to be executed through Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) which has miserably failed to deliver and to ensure the construction and completion of the approved developmental projects despite lapse of 8-10 years due to vested interests. He said that several approved projects had been abandoned by the contractors while others were lingering for several years with the ERA remaining mute spectator and failing to take any action against delinquent agencies for reasons best known to it.
Making special mention of Udhampur-Ramnagar road, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that the river Tawi bridge construction on it had been abandoned with the ERA extending the deadlines year after year for its completion. He said that the aforesaid road work approved at a cost of Rs. 37 crore including bridges had also been left incomplete at various locations. Likewise, he regretted that worst was the case of Doda-Bharath road sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 27 crore, Kalai-Saki Maidan road sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 25 crore, Bani-Daggar road sanctioned at a cost of Rs.10 crore which had all been abandoned with the govt surrendering before the all powerful executing agencies due to their strong political affiliations and for other vested interests. He flayed the govt. for abandonment of Sidra-Mansar road and non completion of 6kms stretch falling near Surinsar. He said that the sewerage project of Jammu west sanctioned at a cost of Rs.150 crore had also met the same fate with negligible progress registered on the ground. He said that the sewerage project for Gandhi Nagar-Digiana area sanctioned for around 50 crore had also failed to take off due to culpable apathy and criminal neglect of the concerned authorities thereby depriving the general public of the benefits envisaged under the scheme.
Mr. Harsh Dev Singh further flayed the authorities for arbitrary fixation of rates in the allotment of contracts to various executing agencies. He said that there were huge variations in the fixation of rates which differed from scheme to scheme and no rational criteria seemed to have been followed for the purpose.
Flaying the state govt. for its omissions and commissions in implementation of schemes sanctioned under ADB, he called for year wise progress report of ERA from 2004 onwards in respect of all sanctioned schemes and fixation of responsibility for all lapses and irregularities committed in the process of implementation of said schemes.