A multi-floor under-construction building of the Legislative Assembly complex in Jammu is a picture-perfect image that depicts the story of 'Good Governance' in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the last 13 years, three Chief Ministers, two Governors, and two Lieutenant Governors, who have taken over the reins of power to govern the erstwhile princely state spent lavishly on releasing full-page advertisements hard selling the theme of Naya Jammu and Kashmir. Ironically, they too failed to expedite the completion of the project.
The pace of work and scale of planning exposes the 'work culture' in the region.
The unavailability of the funds for such a long period delayed the project's completion and added to the cost escalation. The original cost of the project initially pegged at around 110 crores has already exceeded 200 crores.
After the Abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A in August 2019, developmental projects worth several hundred crores were launched in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Ironically, this ambitious project once again missed the bus. Currently, the project executing agency is awaiting a nod to receive Rs 134 crores as per the revised estimates.
So far the project executing agency has failed to receive adequate funds to ensure its timely completion. The foundation stone of the ambitious project was laid on July 1, 2011, by the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. On ground zero, the construction work was started in August 2011. Initially, the project was estimated to be built at a cost of around 113 crores in a stipulated period.
According to the project engineers, who remained in charge from time to time the work on the project was going on smoothly till 2015 but the same hit the roadblock during the BJP-PDP alliance government in office. The alliance government raised certain specific queries related to the administrative and financial approval before giving their formal nod to the revised estimates.
After the fall of the BJP-PDP alliance government, the project remained a non-starter for one long year. In August 2019 after the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized following the Abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A the project executing agency once again failed to receive the funds to complete the pending works.
The work was delayed further during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the last decade, ever since the work on the project was put on hold no attempts have been made to minimise the delay and check the 'unproductive' cost escalation. In October 2021, former Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta issued necessary directions to submit the revised proposals and restart the work on the project at the earliest". However, little headway was made.
At present, the Public Works Department has taken over the project from the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC). According to official sources, a revised estimate has been submitted to the Union Territory Administration for approval. The DPR will now be submitted before the Administrative council or the new cabinet for approval after it is thoroughly examined by the Finance Department, Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Department.
The multi-story complex will be equipped with a modern fire fighting / alarm system, lifts, digital lighting control system, FACADE lighting, the most advanced electro-mechanical and sound system LAN, CCTV, PAVA, AV system and solar lights besides rainwater harvesting and treatment systems. In the Assembly Hall, space for 500 people for the Press gallery and visitors gallery has been created.
