Srinagar: After years of inordinate delay, authorities have decided to start work on community hall at Shah Faisalabad area of Batamaloo here.
Greater Kashmir did a series of stories in past several years on the pending project. The residents said that amid space crunch, they have been suffering for years due to delay in completion of the project
Molvi Habibullah Bhat, who has been following the project for years, said that all the community members have over the years reached out to every official. “After much delay, finally the project has been allotted and SMC officials have started initial work at the designated site,” Bhat said.
Government had allotted land for the community hall in 2008 and subsequently the then finance minister even had laid foundation stone.
“However, the project never took off. We are living in a jam-packed locality and the absence of community hall has been causing inconvenience to us. Be it any function or social gathering, we are unable to accommodate people. During marriage ceremonies, people have to shift to other localities to book community halls,” Bhat said.
“As the funding and approvals have been cleared, we hope that the work will complete in the given time frame. We appreciate all the officials who helped to tide over huddles in the project,” Bhat said.
To mention, earlier the project was to be undertaken by Srinagar Development Authority (SDA), but later the construction was handed over to Srinagar Municipal Corporation.
Officials from SMC said that after getting administrative and technical approval, the project was allotted to a contractor. “A detailed order was issued in this regard. The deadline for the project has been set as nine months. All the funding part, technical approval, and administrative approval have been granted. We are hopeful the project will be completed in a given time frame,” said the official.
As per the order dated July 30, 2022, the project’s technical approval has been granted with an allotted cost of over Rs three crore rupees.
“For and on behalf of the commissioner, Municipal corporation Srinagar, the joint commissioner (works), Srinagar Municipal Corporation hereby allots the above-mentioned work in your favor on the terms and conditions as stipulated in the e-NIT and on the rates indicated in the enclosed schedule as per the quoted/negotiated/accepted rates and accordingly the rates are allotted as per the approved and technically sanctioned DPR forming to this allotment” reads the order.
The order further states that the date of start of the work shall be within one week from the date of issuance of the allotment.