Mumbai, June 30 -- Peoples Democratic Party MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para criticised the government over widespread delays in road infrastructure across Jammu and Kashmir, saying that nearly half the working season had passed without a single road being taken up for macadamisation or blacktopping. He reported that routine announcements and tendering processes had not translated into on?the?ground execution, leaving key routes unaddressed as the season progressed, raising significant concern.
In a post on X he stated that allocations running into tens of billion (bn) Rs had been made to the Roads and Buildings Department, yet the situation on the ground remained alarming. He said that despite tenders being issued and programmes being announced, contractors were not mobilising and visible work had not commenced.
He alleged that a number of projects were effectively stuck on paper as contractors protested against uncompetitive rate contracts, long?pending payments and unpaid liabilities. He added that contractors were being asked to execute works at unsustainable rates even as costs for construction materials, fuel and labour had risen sharply. The MLA noted that rates had not been revised to reflect these increases, which had made many contracts commercially unviable.
Para also flagged what he described as unnecessary police verification requirements that were delaying project execution, and he raised concerns about the lack of a transparent mechanism to identify mining sources and assess royalties. He said the recent Cabinet meeting had failed to address these challenges and urged intervention from the Chief Minister, the Lieutenant Governor, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Union Home Ministry and the Works Department. He warned that continued delay would lead to deteriorating roads and wasted public funds.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.