Rs 8,000 cr earmarked for completion of pending projects in J&K: Guv

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said Rs 8,000 crore has been earmarked for completion of all developmental projects which have been hanging fire for decades for want of adequate resources.

He directed the administration to gear up for completing the projects within the set time frame.“Rs 8,000 crore has been earmarked for completion of all such projects which are hanging fire for decades for want of adequate resources. Inordinate delay in the execution of developmental projects not only leads to cost and time overrun, but also fuels public dissatisfaction as they are not able to benefit from the same,” Malik said.

Addressing a high-level meeting here Wednesday to review the implementation of the action plan for completion of the languishing projects, the Governor said priority should be given to key sectors like road communication, drinking water, education, health care, irrigation and sports.

“No further time or cost overrun should be allowed under any circumstances on such projects. With full commitment and focus, we should be able to achieve good progress on this initiative in the larger public interest,” he said, adding the progress of each project should be updated regularly on the official websites of the departments concerned so that the people know the status of each project.

Malik also called for geo-tagging the pending projects.

Principal Secretary (finance) Navin K Choudhary said 1,014 projects costing Rs 2,171.91 crore have been approved for funding through the newly established Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIDFC).

He said 423 projects costing Rs 682.58 crore in the public health engineering sector, 312 road and bridge projects costing Rs 586.40 crore in public works department, 76 projects costing Rs 188.73 crore in irrigation sector, 35 projects costing Rs 230.54 crore in industries and commerce, 39 projects costing Rs 23.75 crore in school education, 48 projects costing Rs 90.52 crore in health and medical education, 81 projects costing Rs 258.60 crore in Ladakh Affairs and six projects costing Rs 65.38 crore in tourism sector, were the other pending projects.(KR)