World Bank to fund J&K road connectivity project

With the assistance of the World Bank, a major worth Rs 4,502-crore road connectivity operation will be launched in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) shortly. This will come under the Bharat Nirman programme of the Centre.

For this purpose, nine new dedicated divisions are being created in the state under the Public Works Department (PWD) in accordance with the guidelines of the World Bank. A chief engineer will be in charge of the project.

The J&K government has agreed to the terms and conditions of the World Bank, and a Bank team from New Delhi, which visited the state recently, has given the green signal to the funding of the project. The Bank has also provided Rs 350 crore for the upgrade of the existing roads.

Talking to Business Standard, the minister in charge of road and buildings, Gulchain Singh Charak, said with this funding a road length of 6,612 km would be completed in three years. A total of 989 roads are being constructed and nearly 1,643 small and large villages are being connected under the programme.

Charak said the work was being initiated by the National Rural Roads Development agency under the Ministry of Rural Development as part of the Bharat Nirman programme. Some component of the funding would be made directly by the agency.

"There is no need for the state to contribute to the project, but the compensation on account of forest land, private land or any structure being acquired for the projects will be borne by the state government," he said.

The World Bank, which earlier refused funding to J&K, because of the involvement of National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), agreed only after the state assured getting the job done through the state PWD.

It also accepted the terms and conditions imposed by the Bank.He said the Bank suggested setting up dedicated divisions/units purely for this project and not handling the project in accordance with the existing arrangement in the PWD. It was also suggested going in for a global tendering system, maintaining transparency in the accounting system and giving priority to the economic and environment-related interests of the people.

Chief Engineer M M Sharma said initially the Bank would release Rs 750 crore and Rs 153.06 crore would be spent before March. For this project, 150 technical staff would be deputed, besides accounting, clerical and other workers. The project may provide employment to nearly 100,000 people for three years.

Sharma said Jammu and Kathua districts would be converted into one dedicated unit, similarly Rajouri and Poonch would be a single unit/ division, Udhampur-Doda would also be one unit.

"A similar arrangement is being done in the Kashmir valley while for Ladakh and Kargil, the work will be executed in accordance with the existing arrangement because here very few roads are being taken up for construction," Sharma added.

He said the modalities for the same had been fixed in terms of the national norms and Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had given his approval for the creation of nine divisions.

A committee under the supervision of the Chief Secretary and assisted by the Commissioner (Roads & Buildings) has started a spade work on the proposed project.