KL Report
Srinagar
While claiming that only 30 percent of the developmental works have been completed this year in Kashmir so far, the Jammu and Kashmir Central Coordination Committee (JKCCC) has accused the state government for applying different yardsticks with the valley based contractors.
Alleging that the state government is deliberately withholding the release of rupees 1000 crores, which it owes to the Valley based contractors, the JKCCC in a press statement said that by applying ‘discriminatory parameters’ with the Kashmir based contractors, the state government is working for the development of Jammu region at the cost of the developmental works in Kashmir.
Farooq Ahmad Dar, general secretary JKCCC lamented that despite 9 months of the current gone by, 70 percent of the developmental works are yet to be completed.
“Claims of fast-track development by chief minister, Omar Abdullah occupy a lot of space in the local newspapers. But, how many of them know that the same government owes more than rupees 1000 crores, which were supposed to be spend on the developmental works here,” Dar said in the meeting reads the statement.
“Time and again, our payments are withheld for extorting money from the executors of any government work. Despite approaching government umpteenth of times, the fate of more than 70,000 contractors continue to be same on the ground in Kashmir,” he added.
As the weather vagaries play a lot of spoilsport in the completion of the developmental works on time, Dar added that the exemption of the Jammu region from extreme weather conditions always gives it (Jammu region) an edge in the time-bound completion of developmental works in the state.
Dar added that the job of rendering the state financial plan as ‘Wet’ was the sole job of chief only. But, he said that some influential people have got easy access in handling such affairs now. “Sitting on the plan, these elements has not rendered it ‘wet’ so far as incurring losses of crores of rupees on the Valley based contractors. By resorting to such tactics, the sole prerogative of the state government is make the Kashmir based contractors to dance to its tunes,” accused Dar.
Dar, as per the statement has also criticized the state government for implementation of the E-tendering in J&K. Demanding that the electronic process be put to an immediate end, Dar said that more than 80 percent of the contractors have suffered from the implementation of E-tendering so far in the state.
