Says Numbers Won’t Build Roads, Govt. Must Break Deadlock Amid Global Price Volatility_
Srinagar, July 16: Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone has raised concerns over the stalled execution of developmental works in Kashmir, particularly road macadamisation, cautioning that the region’s already limited working season is at risk of being squandered due to an unresolved dispute over contractor rates.
In a statement, Lone pointed out that Kashmir’s short working season for undertaking developmental works, especially road-related projects & macadamisation, is being further constrained by external economic pressures.
He noted that global market disruptions inevitably trigger price volatility, and that the ongoing Iran–US conflict has disrupted supply chains, including petroleum-linked inputs, driving up the cost of materials essential for road works.
Despite the Government having earmarked funds under various R&B and other development schemes, Lone said execution on the ground is yet to commence even as the season is already well into July.
He attributed the delay to a standoff between contractors, who are demanding a revision of rates to reflect rising input costs, and the Government, which has so far remained unwilling to revise them, a deadlock that has brought road macadamisation and related development work to a complete standstill.
Lone was critical of the Government’s apparent reliance on budgetary figures and statistics to project progress, asserting that such data cannot substitute for tangible outcomes on the ground.
“The Government should not hide behind budgetary allocations and statistics to mask the failure to deliver tangible outcomes,” he said, urging authorities to act without further delay to break the impasse.
He appealed to the administration to resolve the rate dispute urgently and ensure that developmental works begin immediately, warning that any further delay risks losing the limited working season altogether, a setback that could push crucial infrastructure projects into the next year.
