Jammu, Feb 01 (KNS): MLA Nagrota Devender Singh Rana on Thursday accused PDP-BJP government of wasting funds allocated for Smart City projects in the twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar and hinted a massive racket in formulation of Draft Project Reports in this regard.
“Who all are preparing the DPRs under Smart City programme and what are their qualifications or standing”, Rana asked while participating in the discussions on the grants of Power and Housing & Urban Development Department in the Legislative Assembly this evening.
He said the Housing and Urban Development Department has become a hub of consultancies and there is something gravely wrong in preparation of DPRs. He also wanted to know as to which taxes are being levied to the residents of the twin capital cities under the pretext of the Smart City project, which has not taken on a right note.
Rana said the Housing & Urban Development Department has nothing to showcase except what it claims the Parking Slot and Hari Singh Park in Jammu. While opening of the park to public is belated, as it took the present dispensation three years to complete the project taken up several years ago, much has not been done in the urban development sector, especially in Jammu. He hoped that focused attention will be taken towards urban development by the present dispensation keeping in view lack of civic amenities to the people.
The MLA Nagrota also expressed concern over delay in preparation and finalization of Master Plans, saying these have fell prey to consultancies. These plans are needed to be accorded priority attention, he added.
Referring to the power sector, Rana wondered that the much trumpeted Deendayal Uphadhyay Scheme is a non-starter in Jammu and Kashmir. There has been nothing on ground except the talks about tendering and re-tendering.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel“This is an undesirable situation, which requires to be addressed on priority so that benefits of the scheme percolate down to the targeted segment of population, he said.
Rana said that power generation has received a major hit during the past three years. He, however, hoped that Chenab Basin will be optimally utilized for constructing a reservoir that will eventually help in generation of power. He said the Bursar Storage Reservoir could prove to be a potential asset for the State that should be considered.
The MLA Nagrota wanted to know whether the present dispensation had a proposal to transfer Rs 4,000 crore worth power projects under Prime Minister’s Development Package to CPSU. He said the Power Development Department is mired in the controversies of litigations rather than taking forward any projects to logical conclusion.
Rana sought corrective measures to plug the wrongs in the power sector, which he termed to be in shambles.
He also referred to a letter purportedly written to the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister by the State Finance Minister that portrays the Power Development Department in bad light. If true, he said this speaks volumes about lack of synergy between two limbs of the government. He said governments in democratic polity have collective responsibility and if there is any trust deficit between two ministries that is going to impact the overall interests of the state.
Rana also called for reforms in the Udhay Bond scheme and measures for ensuring safety of the PDD staff working in difficult situations. He also raised the issue of daily wagers in the PDD and Housing & Urban Development departments. (KNS)