STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Urging for strict compliance with the World Bank’s anti corruption guidelines in the implementation of Rs 1,600 crore rehabilitation project sanctioned for restoration of flood ravaged infrastructure in J and K, Chairman JKNPP and former Minister, Harsh Dev Singh called for strict vigil and monitoring mechanism so as to curb the all pervasive leakages, pilferages and scams that are closely associated with all relief and rehabilitation operations. He said that the State Government has to discharge the onerous responsibility in this regard by ensuring that the relief and rehabilitation measures percolate down to the grass root level and that the available meager resources are put to the most optimum use.
Seeking further the maintenance of regional balance in the allocation of 250 million dollar World Bank Funding, Harsh called for equitable share to Jammu region in view of huge losses sustained in this region which has unfortunately gone unattended and unaddressed. He said flood losses of September 2014 and subsequent vagaries of weather caused colossal losses in Jammu region including loss of 250 lives which however went unheeded with the State Government as well as the Central teams concentrating only on Kashmir. He said that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on irrigation, flood control and water resources as well as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology and Environment and Forests confined their visit to Kashmir valley only neglecting Jammu from its itinerary.
Likewise, he pointed out that Governor Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan also visited the flood affected areas and flood victims of Kashmir but refused to visit the ravaged areas and victims of floods in Jammu by taking the plea that he has spoken to some NGOs of Jammu. He said that the visit of central teams to Kashmir was welcome step but Jammu is being totally ignored even in the recommendations of the central teams.
Pointing out towards the regional bias in the recommendations of the central teams, Harsh said that the Parliamentary Panel on water resources headed by Hukam Singh with Tariq Hamid Qarra MP from Kashmir as its member had announced Rs. 401 crore flood Management Project for Kashmir and assured its early sanction it already having been cleared by Central Water Commission. Not a word was however said about irrigation or flood projects for Jammu by the said committee. The said Parliamentary Committee further assured to get early clearance from Union Water Resources Ministry for Rs 2,083 crore flood management project for Kashmir that would ensure construction of an alternate flood spill channel from Dogripura in district Pulwama upto Wuller lake, he pointed out. In addition, he said, Rs 79 crore project for conservation of Jhelum and Rs. 278 crore under JNNURM for de-congestion of old Srinagar city have already received the central nod to the complete neglect of Jammu region.
Seeking due share in the World Bank grant of Rs. 1600 crore for Jammu region, Harsh cautioned that Jammu people would not take this humiliating treatment lying down and would vociferously oppose the discriminatory policies of the incumbent government on provision of relief to the flood victims of Jammu region.
Calling for an effective surveillance mechanism for utilising the sanctioned funds and ensuring complete transparency in their utilisation, Harsh warned the State Government to refrain from divesting the already neglected Jammu region from its due and equitable share in the rehabilitation process.
