J&K HC asks govt to file action taken report on its orders about languishing infra projects
Srinagar, Feb 10: The J&K High Court Wednesday directed the government to file a latest action taken report about infrastructure projects like bridges and flyovers languishing due to paucity of funds with the executing agencies.
Adjudicating a public interest petition filed by Samaj Sudhar Committee through advocate Arshad Andrabi, a division bench of Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice D S Thakur observed that authorities have failed to file action taken report in terms of court order dated 27th November, 2020.
A report by the Deputy General Manager of the JKPCC had informed the court that bridges under construction through the JKPCC were either funded by the World Bank or by the Government of UT of J&K.
“However, it’s apt to mention over here that for the bridges funded by the World Bank, execution is going smoothly and funds are released from time to time. That in most of the bridges including that of the subjected PIL, Akhal and Tengchatri bridge, where the funding agency is PWD, the paucity of funds is causing delay in the completion of the execution,” JKPCC informed the court.
Furthermore, it said “by 2018 almost six bridge projects under execution with the JKPCC (including Akhal bridge and Tengchatri bridge Iron) the actual project funding authority is PWD. The pace of work here is either at halt or low and these bridges have been put under LANGUASHING BRIDGES and will be funded by Jammu & Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIDFC).”
Hearing the facts brought on record by the JKPCC, the court had observed that the matter required to be seriously looked into at the highest level.
It had ordered to place a copy of the report before the Chief Secretary of the UT of J&K, who shall immediately look into the matter.
As the matter again came up for hearing today, the court expressed its anguish that no action taken report in terms of order has been filed by the authorities so far.
On this, the additional advocate general sought some more time. The court then ordered the official counsel to file the report within two weeks.
Rashid Paul is Associate Editor at Kashmir Images.
He can be reached at [email protected]
