Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta while chairing a high level review meeting directed the Road and Buildings Department to adhere to the timelines and ensure the speedy completion of projects.
Dr Mehta took a strong note of the repeated delays made by the executing agencies in completing the T3 and T5 Tunnels on the National Highway. He urged them to complete the both without any further delay as these would be pivotal in making the travel easy on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
He asked them to look into the possibility of connecting the tourist destinations of Budgam-Yousmarg-Doodhpathri-
Clear cut directions passed by the Chief Secretary to the R&B Department are a signal that the government is keen on ensuring that the vital road projects are completed within a stipulated deadline as connectivity holds the key.
After J&K’s transition into a Union Territory, the pace of development projects has picked up. The projects that were in the pipeline have been completed and many new projects have come up after 2019.
The development of J&K has been a top priority. The executing agencies have been pulled up for not adhering to the deadlines. In some cases these agencies have been penalized for delaying the projects.
The work on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has been going on at rapid pace as the helmsmen are keen on making this all important highway four-lane so that the travel time between Jammu and Srinagar cities is reduced. Once the Jammu-Srinagar highway becomes four-lane many such areas which are landslide prone would get bye-passed that would pave the way for highway to remain open even during the inclement weather conditions.
The other important roads which are being developed include Bandipora-Gurez Road, Sinthan-Kishtwar and Sonamarg Road. The efforts are being put to ensure that these roads remain open during the winter months so that people don’t face inconvenience and opportunities to promote winter tourism are explored.
In a nutshell the development process in J&K has been expedited and the helmsmen are not allowing anyone to take their jobs lightly. The government’s aim is clear that the development has to be carried on at a pace which can transform J&K into one of the most developed places in the country.
Don’t miss deadlines
