The State government has undertaken the job of upgradation/renovation of about 1000 kms road length across Jammu division under new specifications for macamadization and blacktopping. It includes urban, rural and other inter-district road links. This information was given by the Minister for R&B, Floriculture, Garden and Parks, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari while chairing a meeting of engineers, here last evening.The Minister directed the R&B and PMGSY departments to gear up their men and machinery to complete the substantial task in a time bound manner. He called for adhering to the prescribed specifications in the work and using quality construction material for creating the assets. He asked them to adopt best engineering techniques to create sustainable road infrastructure in the state and cautioned against any deficiency and lapse on account of quality of the work.Asserting that the government is determined to bring transparency in its functioning at all levels and cautioned the officers to refrain from taking up works without administrative approval and without tendering process.
“No work shall be taken up without administrative approval and proper tendering this has to be borne in the mind by all the concerned” the Minister maintained and added that transparency in the functioning of organizations has been tagged as top priority by the government.Taking review of the status of ongoing works and the condition of roads in Jammu city, he directed the executing agencies to ensure that the construction of flyover may not hamper the smooth plying of traffic from Gandhi Nagar to Vikram Chowk. The authorities of executing agency (ERA) apprised the Minister that the project would be completed by December 2016 as targeted.The Minister also directed the authorities of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to complete the pending work on Narwal-Sidhra Bye-pass road by resolving the issue with the Railways authorities at the earliest.
The Minister also reviewed the status of inter-state Bhaderwah-Chamba road and was informed that the work on the same is nearing completion. Expressing concern over the pathetic condition of landslide prone Batote-Kishtwar road, the Minister asked the concerned to keep men and machinery standby at all the vulnerable points for quick response to clear the debris in the event of landslides and to avoid inconvenience to the general public and making this the vital road open.He also directed the officials to formulate the plans in consultation with the local legislators in order to accommodate the priority of the areas specific on merits and needs.In border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, the Minister asked the concerned to expedite the works on all vital roads, including Rajouri to Surankote road Via Bufliaz. He assured that all the liabilities would be cleared soon and compensation will be given to the owners whose land have been acquired for the road projects.Among others, Chief Engineer PWD, all Superintendent Engineers, XENs of Jammu division, representative of Jammu Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC), Superintendent Engineer, Power Development Department (PDD), Project Manager, Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) and senior officers of the Department were also present in the meeting.