The Hindu : Govt. issues progress report of projects

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 18, 2003

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Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

Govt. issues progress report of projects

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 17. On the eve of the Prime Minister's visit to Jammu and Kashmir the Central Government has issued a "Progress report'' of the projects that form part of the economic package for the State that he announced last May.

The Udhampur-Katra and Qazigund-Baramulla railway line, the one mega project in the package, is said to be `in progress''. Some 6444 km of tunneling has been completed from the total of 10,326 km needed, and three of nine major bridges have been completed, with working continuing on five.

The Government in its reports said that the process of acquiring land had been slow and that less than a third of the 5,304 kanals of land required had been handed over to the railway by the State Government. The Government had set 15 August 2007, as the new completion date for the project.

Work on doubling the Jammu Tawi-Jallandhur railway line is considerably slower with tenders for earthwork and bridges awarded for less than 80 km of the line.

No construction work on the other major infrastructure projects to build the three main road projects linking Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh had begun. However the completion of National Highway 1B in the Batote sector had been advanced from 2013 to December 2007.

The Centre had released funds for a few projects in the textile sector, including for the development of sericulture and the silk industry. The Ministry of Agriculture had also made over Rs. 3 crores available for the programme to restore the degraded catchments of the Chenab, Jhelum and Shivalik rivers.

The State Government had also received Rs. 100 crores for the Border Area Development Programme over the last year. Half of this amount should have gone directly to district rural development agencies.

On all matters relating to the security forces, including an incentive scheme for members of the Special Operations Group and increase in the ex-gratia payment to next of the kin of Special Police Officers, the Home Ministry says it has "complied'' with the requirements; the State Government has been asked to claim reimbursements in accordance with the proposals.

The Prime Minister's Office had also released Rs. 10 crores for new tents and common civic amenities for border migrants; and another Rs. 8 crores for the rehabilitation of police persons injured or killed in terrorist attacks and for their families.

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