Firdous Hassan
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to stop funds to 57 projects due to the unsatisfactory performance of departments in executing the works.
A few months ago, the government had given the go-ahead to Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation limited (JKIDFC) to borrow Rs 1500 crore from the open market to complete the construction of 1300 languishing projects.
During a review of 592 incomplete projects, the administration detected the glaring failure of the departments in executing the works.
An official document accessed by The Kashmir Monitor revealed that the Financial Commissioner of the Finance Department Arun Kumar Mehta, who is also Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of JKIDFC, dropped 21 projects of Industries and Commerce Department from funding.
CMD, as per the document, marked the performance of the Industries and Commerce Department as unsatisfactory and directed the officers concerned to clarify the same and forward it to the Corporation.
The document said that during a review meeting, JKIDFC officials found that work on 49 sanctioned projects has not been initiated by the Health and Medical Education Department.
Similarly, out of eight non-initiated projects, three have been dropped from funding due to the land dispute.
JKIDFC has rated the performance of the Jal Shakti department also below satisfactory as work on only 50 projects out of 250 approved have been started.
“It is due to the non-tendering of these works in the first place. After the meeting, the Jal Shakti Department submitted the list of 27 projects to be dropped from funding under JKIDFC,” the document said.
The functioning of the horticulture department, Power Development Department and transport department has also come under the scanner.
It has also come to the fore that various executing agencies were not furnishing the bills of the projects in the school education department.
The Chairman of JKIDFC directed the department to enquire into the status of all the 45 projects.
The Corporation also found that works of the Tribal Affairs Department have not been tendered and rather allotted on nomination basis”.
“Taking serious note of this aspect, the Chairman has directed the department to furnish the proposal for dropping of projects before the High Powered Committee,” the document said.
Meanwhile, sources said the financial commissioner has directed all department to complete most of the languishing projects in current financial year.
“Some of the departments already have assured to complete languishing projects in the current financial year. The rest too will be completed before the end of 2021-22,” they said.
