SRINAGAR, May 16: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Thursday blasted former BJP-PDP government over their dismal performance in expediting the work on vital projects of the state saying that the inefficiency that has bequeathed by former Mehbooba led government into the state administration is primarily responsible for diminutive spending on Jhelum-Tawi flood recovery project.
In a statement issued from party headquarters Nawa-e-Subah, provincial Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said that the state government’s capacity to spend funds on infrastructure projects was now being questioned as the state government has just spent Rs. 71 Cr of the Rs. 1500 Cr world bank funded project in last three years as per media reports. “With this kind of report card the state would not be able to get its other vital projects funded by the internal funding agencies. This also deflates the development balloon of BJP-PDP combine. The report that came other day in the local daily has debunked the high sounding assertions of former PDP-BJP government on the development of state,” he said.
Imran said that the pace of work on the projects didn’t pick up during the former BJP-PDP coalition government. “However it was expected that the pace of work on the vital flood recovery project, sanctioned after then CM Omar Abdullah held a series of meetings with World Bank, will pick up in the governor’s rule that followed the coalition government. The deadline for completion of the Jhelum Tawi flood recovery project is 30 June 2020. Spending more than Rs. 1400 Cr in a year seem rather impossible given the scope of the work is very immense. Spending so much money in the remaining 13 months seems to be a tall order for an administration that wasn’t able to cope with the scope of work in past three years,” he said.
Imran said that it was expected of the administration to learn lessons and add to the flood preparedness and precautionary measures of the state. “However with the BJP-PDP in the vanguard of the state government from 2014 to 2016 nothing of that sort happened. On the contrary the former coalition squandered the time and mandate of the people. The fateful coalition was vision less and sans clarity of thought on the issues that the state is facing,” he said.
Imran said that the incumbent governor administration also didn’t rise up to the expectations of the people. “We had thought that the work on the vital projects will pick up however it didn’t happen. Now I urge the incumbent governor administration to speed up the work even if it requires multiple shifts for completion. The flood recovery projects are of pristine importance to the state and should have been personally monitored by governor of the state,” he said.