Srinagar, July 22: Call it caudal façade or creation of some poor architecture, but the upcoming mega building near Jehangir Chowk for rehabilitation of shopkeepers, and government offices doesn’t face the main road. Actually it has its back towards the government’s top edifices including the High Court complex, Legislative Complex and the Civil Secretariat.
 Creating a history of sorts, this is for the first time that some mega structure would have its back towards the main road, that too in the City centre.
 With this being the state-of-affairs towards development scheduled to rehabilitate business community coming in way of the proposed Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh flyover project, the benefits of this much debated project to be executed by the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) on funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) could only be imagined. The government, however, is satisfaction with the work.

THE SHOPPING COMPLEX
 For the rehabilitation of Jehangir Chowk area shopkeepers, coming in way of the proposed flyover, the state government assigned the construction work to Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation(JKPCC).
 The mega building is coming up at the site, which earlier housed the offices of Power Development Department and the Crime Branch. The heritage building was gutted in a mysterious fire during the unrest of Ragda 2010.

JASPAL BHATTI INSTINCT 
 Sources said the administration was so desperate to construct the building with its back towards the Civil Secretariat main road that it asked a then private consultancy, working on the proposed flyover, to come up with a design, which would have a tall “jail like wall towards the VIP road”.
 “Basically, the government wanted to come up with a new façade line which would go out-of-box. But as the suggestions to keep a blind towards the main road was ridiculous, the company people preferred to give up the work than bring disrepute for them,” said a source pricy to the development.
 Thereafter, he said, the government sought assistance from a state based Town Planner, who came with the design. Though not with a central jail like wall towards the main road, the building has its entrance from the rear.

SHOPKEEPERS ANNOYED
 The 60 odd shopkeepers scheduled to be rehabilitated at the lower two floors of the complex are not convinced with the government plan. The traders said they were “just not convinced” with the building design adding that shifting to the proposed venue would be disastrous for their business.
 The shopkeepers complained that they were never consulted for the building construction. “This was the height of arrogance from the side of Babus that though the complex was coming up for our rehabilitation, its design was never discussed with us,” said septuagenarian Haji Muhammad Shafi, President Municipal Complex Shopkeepers.
 Haji, flanked by heads of other shopkeeper associations, alleged that the “government meetings to discuss  rehabilitation were actually briefings from the Babus.” “We were never allowed to talk. And if we tried to, we were directed to speak in Urdu, a language elderly people like me aren’t well acquainted with,” he added.
 Haji’s colleague Bashir Ahmed and others accused the ERA officials of trying to go for forced eviction of shopkeepers. “ERA officials have started threatening us over rehabilitation,” the traders alleged.
 The traders have a question: “If the Government Arts Market at Exhibition Ground couldn’t do well all these years, how will a shopping complex do which instead of facing the main road has its entry from the rear?”

ERA SPEAKS
 The ERA officials while refuting the allegations of threatening said the building was coming up for benefit of the shopkeepers. “This was the nearest possible site to rehabilitate the shopkeepers in the area,” ERA Director Khalid Muzaffar told Greater Kashmir during an informal chat.
 To a question on “caudal design” he said: “The design has been carved out keeping in view the future needs of the City and the construction of the upcoming flyover.”

THE FLYOVER MESS
 The government proposal to construct the flyover between Jehangir Chowk and Rambagh is already under criticism by experts for being “ill designed.”
 Benefits, which Aam Admi was expected to reap, have already been reduced, much like the flyover length. The flyover, as assured earlier, won’t benefit the congested Natipora, a key road link to vast populace stretching up to central Kashmir. The expressway length has been reduced by around a kilometer to end at Rambagh.
 This 36 month project announced in 2009 by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is facing many hiccups. Chances of its timely completion look bleak. Three odd years on, the dream project exists in papers alone while government eyes on funding of over Rs 300 crore from the ADB to seemingly improve VIP movement than Aam Aadmi’s mobility!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Benefits, which Aam Admi was expected to reap, have already been reduced, much like the flyover length. The flyover, as assured earlier, won’t benefit the congested Natipora, a key road link to vast populace stretching up to central Kashmir. The expressway length has been reduced by around a kilometer to end at Rambagh.
This 36 month project announced in 2009 by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is facing many hiccups. Chances of its timely completion look bleak. Three odd years on, the dream project exists in papers alone while government eyes on funding of over Rs 300 crore from the ADB to seemingly improve VIP movement than Aam Aadmi’s mobility!

Lastupdate on : Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 22 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 23 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST