Mehbooba calls for effective coordination between agencies to complete highway projects
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today described connectivity as a prerequisite for bolstering economic growth and called for more effective coordination between various agencies so that work on various prestigious road projects in the state was carried forward with greater urgency.
She said constructing roads on the rugged terrain in a hilly state like J&K was a daunting task and sought the Centre’s active support in removing hurdles in the completion of the projects.
The Chief Minister said this today while chairing a high-level meeting to review the progress of work on national highways in the state.
The review comes in the backdrop of her meeting with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi earlier this month.
Stressing on factoring in physical and topographical issues while framing road projects, the Chief Minister highlighted the difficult challenges confronting the Kashmir valley on account of the hostile climatic conditions and constraints on the law and order front, which she said hampered the already limited working season.
Mehbooba urged all concerned state government departments to work in unison and resolve pending issues with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She expressed concern over the slow progress achieved on the Banihal-Qazigund and the Qazigund-Srinagar road stretches, where only 50 per cent of the work has been completed.
She was briefed about the ongoing road works and told that 96 per cent of all land acquisition cases had been completed and Rs 42,668 crore had been sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Development Package — TAMIER (The Aggressive Micro Economic and Infrastructure Rebuilding).
The Chief Minister ordered the Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir to follow up the land acquisition proceedings once the National Highways Authority of India placed the indents with the respective Deputy Commissioners.
