E-Paper
Jammu and Kashmir: Work on Tawi barrage to be completed in 10 months
The administrative council, which met in Srinagar under the chairmanship of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, approved the revised project at an additional cost of ₹73.34 crore
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has approved the revised project for the construction of balance works of Tawi barrage, popularly called Artificial Lake, at an estimated cost of ₹73.34 crore.
The administrative council, which met in Srinagar on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, approved the revised project. Farooq Khan and Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, advisers to the LG, Arun Kumar Mehta, chief secretary, J&K and Nitishwar Kumar, principal secretary to the LG attended the meeting.
The proposed gated barrage on Tawi is one of the three subprojects of the prestigious artificial lake project that which was conceptualised to give a boost to regional tourism in Jammu by creating recreational activities like boating and water sports, besides enhancing the overall aesthetic look of the city.
The other two subprojects, viz Tawi river development project and beautification and creation of tourist facilities are to executed by the housing and urban development department and tourism department, respectively..
The project was originally sanctioned in the financial year 2010-11 at a cost of ₹70.00 crore by dovetailing funds from various sources.
However, the project was stalled on account of contractor’s inactivity for seven years leading to cancellation of awarded tender and related cost escalation.
“The administrative council has sanctioned the revised project which will be completed within 10 months of allotment through e-tendering at an estimated cost of ₹131.53 crore which includes the additional grant of ₹73.34 crore and already incurred expenditure of ₹58.19 crore,” said an official spokesperson.
On completion, the project will promote water recreation and sporting facilities besides boosting commercial activities around the artificial lake which in turn create employment opportunities for locals and attract tourists to Jammu city.
A whopping ₹60 crore of tax payers’ money has been spent so far in the past 12 years since it was conceived in 2009.
On May 31 this year, J&K administration headed by LG Manoj Sinha had again set a timeline for the completion of the protracted project.
Pertinently, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had engaged the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, for detailed assessment of works already executed on Tawi Barrage Project and to give expert advice on the completion of leftover work and recommend measures required to be taken to prevent erosion of the embankments and suggest required flood protection works.
Under the Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) a Portuguese firm — Aqualogus — was also assigned the task of conducting morphology study of Tawi so that effective measures can be taken for flood protection.
Last year in February, the general administration department had issued an order sanctioning constitution of a panel to probe lapses and fixing responsibility into the poor execution of the contract.
A three-member panel of officers, headed by principal secretary Rohit Kansal, was given the task to probe the matter and submit a report to the government in a month.
