Though road infrastructure is the soul of development but repairs, reconstruction and macadamisation of roads is not picking up the way it should have picked up even after the completion of about half of the current financial year in Jammu & Kashmir. Since the repairs, reconstruction and resurfacing of roads can not be taken up after November due to unfavourable weather conditions in Kashmir valley, the J&K’s R&B department and ERA (Economic Reconstruction Agency) is likely to miss deadlines in completion of many key road development projects this year also like the previous year. Still three months are sufficient enough for both the R&B department and as well as the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) to fast pace the work on major road development projects both in Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division to ensure their completion in given timelines. Even in the twin capital cities the complaints about unprecedented delays in the resurfacing of potholed roads are galore but complaints go unnoticed with authorities paying no heed to immediate demands for resurfacing of the potholed roads in twin capital cities and majority of the major towns including district headquarters in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. What merits a mention here is the fact that last year representatives of district development councils (DDCs) were blamed for non utilisation of funds for development of roads identified by them for repairs and resurfacing. Work on roads not being taken up for repairs , reconstruction and resurfacing even after approval of estimates and plans by the competent authorities shows that the elected members of district development councils (DDCs) too are not serious enough to raise the issues of development in the district development councils where they can pass even resolution against the delays atleast twice or thrice a year. Not only the J&K Government controlled R&B department and Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) but Central Government controlled Border Roads Organisation (BRO) responsible for maintaining the main highways like Srinagar-Uri highway too is also showing laxity in maintaining the highways connecting two or more than two districts in both Jammu division and as well as Kashmir valley.
While bad roads paint a dismal picture of road infrastructure development in Jammu & Kashmir, the responsibility for unprecedented delays in completion of major road infrastructural projects should be fixed on the concerned authorities for the purposes of penal action against them so that delays in the execution of road development projects don’t occur and re-occur again and again. After all impediments in development have to be removed for furthering the causes of performance in every sector of development on equitable lines across Jammu & Kashmir.
When paucity of funds is not a cause for delays in the execution of road development projects, the demands for actions against those responsible for such delays golouder and wider across Jammu & Kashmir and very genuinely so. While bad roads paint a dismal picture of road infrastructure development in Jammu & Kashmir, the responsibility for unprecedented delays in completion of major road infrastructural projects should be fixed on the concerned authorities for the purposes of penal action against them so that delays in the execution of road development projects don’t occur and re-occur again and again. After all impediments in development have to be removed for furthering the causes of performance in every sector of development on equitable lines across Jammu & Kashmir.
