Govt aims to complete 180 projects in public works sector this fiscal in JK

The Jammu and Kashmir administration is all set to complete 180 vital developmental projects this fiscal in public works sector, taking the mission road to development much ahead across the union territory, an official spokesman said on Friday.

The Department of Finance, under the Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Limited (JKIDFC) - a newly created government undertaking body, in a series of nine meetings sanctioned 593 projects with balance sanctioned cost of Rs 1,313.24 crore pertaining to roads and bridges, the spokesman said.

He said the sanctioned 593 projects include 380 roads with balance cost of Rs 867.26 crore, 198 bridges with balance cost of Rs 413.38 crore and 15 buildings with balance cost of Rs 32.60 crore.

For the effective implementation of the programme, the projects under execution are being regularly monitored at the executive agency level and at the highest level as well, the spokesman said.

He said the Department of Public Works (Roads and Buildings) has targeted to complete 180 projects by the end of March 2020.

The department till now has completed 111 projects which include 50 roads, 56 bridges and five buildings, the spokesman said adding Rs 221.74 crore have been incurred on these languishing projects till date.

Notably, the Jammu and Kashmir government with its all-out efforts created a special fund to complete all the languishing projects, works of all the departments which were left halfway due to the scarcity of funds, the spokesman said.

He said the Department of Finance started sanctioning the languishing projects in the year 2018.

He said the government, with the supplementation of central resources, made concerted efforts in rebuilding of destroyed infrastructure in the shape of roads, bridges, school buildings and the social infrastructure.

With this objective in view, special schemes have been launched, besides bolstering the ongoing schemes of the Public Works Department, he said.

In order to bolster the economy and take mission development ahead, he said the Jammu and Kashmir administration is taking every possible step to complete nearly 2,000 vital projects by March 2021.