New deadline for Tawi lake project — March 31, 2016

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 13

With work on the artificial lake on the Tawi getting delayed due to repeated political interference, the government has set a new target date to complete the project — March 31, 2016. The project was taken up in 2010 and has missed nearly five deadlines.

Recently, it landed into a controversy embarrassing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership, when Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had announced that the lake was not feasible on the river.

In a reply to an application filed under the RTI Act by Raman Sharma, a social activist, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department has informed that the target date for completion of the barrage portion of the lake project stands revised to March 31, 2016, while the work has remained suspended for 20 months since the work started in 2010.

The department has revealed that 95 per cent civil works and 90 per cent mechanical works have been completed and since the work started in 2010, Rs 54.68 crore has been spent on the Tawi barrage project.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) has revealed that the estimated cost of the project of constructing barrage on the Tawi was Rs 69.70 crore.

However, the PIO has not replied to the applicant’s query where he has sought certified copies of any specific directions issued by the Chief Minister/Deputy Chief Minister or PHE and Irrigation Minister about the lake project.

Though in reply to the RTI application, the department has said the funding for the project was on 90:10 basis (90 per cent by the Central Government and 10 per cent by the state government. In response to the demand of the applicant about certified copies of the last three inspection reports and the recommendations, the department has informed that inspections are carried out by NABCON and the reports are submitted directly to the government, hence copies of the inspection reports are not available with them.