Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday constituted a divisional and district level committees to “coordinate and monitor the progress, timely completion of shifting process of transmission towers and other related issues pertaining to work on four laning of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway.
The constitution of committee comes more than three weeks after Jammu and Kashmir High Court asked the Chief Secretary to ascertain the difficulties being faced by the National Highways Authority of India in the competition of the entire project and issue all possible directions to the concerned authorities for their removal “at the earliest”.
The divisional level panel comprises of six members and is headed by divisional commissioner Jammu, as per a government order issued here.
The district level committee also has as many members and is headed by district magistrate Udhampur/Ramban. According to statement, it has been ordered to function in coordination with the Divisional Level Committee and submit weekly progress reports to the Divisional Commissioner Jammu, “who will examine and forward the same to the office of the Chief Secretary.”
Besides issuing directions to the Chief Secretary, the High Court had on February 10 also termed existing condition of the Highway, stretching right from Udhampur to Chenani and Chenani to Banihal as very “precariously shabby” and that the concerned Contractors are not maintaining the roads as per the required level.
“We hope and trust that all possible efforts are taken by the concerned authorities in the Government of Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the National Highways Authority of India so as to redress this concern,” the court had said.
The court’s directions had followed submission by NHAI that among other issues, out of 10 HT towers only 3 have been shifted till date (February this year) from Udhampur to Ramban Section.
Similarly, NHAI had said that from Ramban to Banihal Section, there are 38 towers which are to be shifted by the TLMD Department and till date (Feb 10) there was no progress.
