Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam today called for removing the impediments/bottlenecks for effective and efficient fund utilization, and ensuring smooth service delivery to the public.Chief Secretary was chairing a meeting at the winter secretariat here to review the languishing and new projects in Ganderbal district which will be proposed for funding by the Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIDFC).The meeting was also attended by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Khan, Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Divisional Heads of the departments of Education, FCS&CA, Agriculture, Industries, R&B, PHE, I&FC, Health, Power, CEO, JKIDFC, and other senior officers.The district level officers of key departments Ganderbal also participated in the meeting.“The bottlenecks faced by different departments, from conceptualization of a project till the preparation of Detailed Project Report, should be addressed effectively and cohesively in order to push the government’s developmental agenda. Once you address these impediments, the state of governance will undergo a monumental change. You have to act as facilitators of change which is supportive of good governance,” he said.
Chief Secretary also directed the Chief Engineers of PWD, R&B, Power and I&FC departments to consider use of funds available under JKIDFC as a bridge loan to fund the projects which are otherwise funded from various sources other than JKIDFC, like NABARD-sponsored schemes, but are temporarily stuck at various stages due to slow fund flow. He said the loan amounts will be recouped to JKIDFC once the funds from the original source are released.Chief Secretary observed that since the process of identifying languishing projects began in the first week of October, developmental works amounting to nearly Rs 3000 crore have been identified by the district and divisional administrations across the state.“Of around Rs 8000 crore available through JKIDFC, we still have a long way to go. Government is preparing a master list of projects that will be pushed through the system to change the infrastructural landscape of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Chief Secretary said.Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal informed that projects amounting to around Rs 67 crore have already been identified for funding by JKIDFC. Chief Secretary asked the district administration to prepare Detailed Project Reports for around Rs 110 crore, including Rs 60 crore for new projects.
“The district administration will prepare DPRs for 60 water supply schemes that have been closed for want of financial resources and submit these before 31 December 2018. In addition, the district administration should examine the proposal of an underground sewerage network in Ganderbal town to address the long pending demand of the general public,” Chief Secretary observed.In a significant decision, Chief Secretary asked the Power Development Department to prepare a comprehensive framework for strengthening the power distribution network in Kashmir division. He said the government will examine the proposal and explore the possibility of funding so that a reliable power network could be set up in the division.Chief Secretary also deliberated extensively on the new projects proposed by the district administration in various sectors like Health, Youth Services and Sports, and Education. DC Ganderbal was asked to satisfy the viability of these projects before proposing them for funding by JKIDFC.