‘Abandoned’ 2.5 yrs ago, govt claims lake project work on

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 4

The state government has been caught on the wrong foot after it claimed in the legislature that work on the artificial lake in Jammu was in progress and it was targeted to be completed by March-end this year.

On the ground, however, things are different. There is no machinery or construction material at the project site, belying the government claim.

The work on the project was abandoned about 2.5 ago. It has jumped several deadlines and the chances of its completion within the fresh deadline look bleak.

“The Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department has undertaken construction of design and construction of auto-mechanically operated barrage across the Tawi under which creation of artificial lake was one of the components of the project. Further, work on the construction of design and construction of barrage is targeted to be completed by March-end and the work is in progress,” Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, Tourism Minister, said in a written reply to a query of BJP legislator Ramesh Arora in the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

Official sources, however, mocked at the government claim, saying that “the I&FC Department had failed to convince the executing agency GVR Infra Project Limited to resume work on the abandoned project.”

“Although some progress was recently made in this regard after the I&FC Department signed a fresh agreement with the agency, there are remote chances that work will be completed within the fresh deadline,” sources said.

Irrigation Minister Sham Lal Choudhary had earlier set January 2018 as the deadline for the project.

“During the floods in 2014, one of the piers of the barrage was damaged and got tilted. Another pier also suffered some damage during the floods. The repairing of piers will take time,” sources said.

The project was started in 2010 and was scheduled to be completed in 2013. Of Rs 70 crore sanctioned for the project, the government has spent Rs 58 crore. It claimed that about 90 per cent work on the project had been completed.