Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired a meeting to review the progress of various infrastructure development projects being undertaken by the Public Works Department (PWD) in the Union Territory.
Dulloo emphasized the importance of road infrastructure in promoting overall development and instructed the department to prioritize the upgrading of roads leading to newly identified tourist destinations in each division. He also stressed the need for regular maintenance of roads to ensure their quality and durability.
The Chief Secretary highlighted the significant increase in the density of National Highways in the UT but also pointed to the scope for further improvement to match the levels of other Himalayan states. He urged the department to expedite the completion of ongoing road projects.
Principal Secretary, PWD, Shailendra Kumar, presented an overview of the major projects and works being executed by the department. He provided details of the physical progress made on each project under PMDP, CRIF, PMGSY, NABARD, and other UT sector schemes, along with their estimated completion dates.
Kumar informed the meeting that the department has implemented several reforms to ensure timely and quality execution of works. He noted that Jammu and Kashmir is the first UT to have prepared online Measurement Books for each work.
Out of the total road length of 41,927 kilometers in the UT, 36,433 kilometers are blacktopped, 3,012 kilometers are metalled, and 2,457 kilometers are fair weather roads. The department is committed to upgrading the entire road network to blacktopped standards in a phased manner.
Since April 2020, the department has completed 7,826 projects and blacktopped 17,247 kilometers of roads at an expenditure of Rs 18,716.94 crore. The cumulative expenditure per month during this three-year period is Rs 519 crore, compared to Rs 319 crore per month in the previous three-year period from April 2017 to March 2020.
Key projects reviewed at the meeting included the Semi Ring Road Jammu, Semi Ring Road Srinagar, Udhampur-Ramban Section of NH 44, Ramban-Banihal Section of NH 44, Jammu-Akhnoor-Poonch road, Chenani-Sudhmahadev-Goha-Khellani-Chatroo-Khanabal road, Srinagar-Shopian-Qazigund road, Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri Road, Z-Morh tunnel, Zojilla tunnel, Delhi Katra Amritsar Expressway, and roads and bridges under CRIF, PMGSY, and other schemes.
Dulloo also reviewed the snow clearance preparations made by the department and inquired about the availability of machinery and equipment for timely opening of roads. He emphasized the need to ensure the clearance of all roads with minimal disruption to the movement of people and essential supplies in snow-bound areas.
The Chief Secretary was informed that the snow clearance work has been assigned to various agencies, including SMC, JMC, R&B, NHIDCL, and BRO, with their machinery, equipment, and staff ready for deployment during snowfall.
