Like the passengers on a road like Srinagar Jammu highway, there are many development projects in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that are far away from destination. For one reason or the other, there are many government projects that are frozen, and show no signs of getting anywhere. This news paper has been, through news stories, and editorials, highlighting this problem. But till now it seems that none pays any heed to it. No one seriously digs into what causes delay in the completion of projects. No one fixes responsibility for why some of the prestigious projects miss deadline after deadline. Just some days back there was a news story about the Jehangir chowk- Rambagh flyover. Another penalty was imposed on the contractor for missing one more deadline. But does that solve our problem; no, not al all. It might appear as a serious follow up on the complaints of delay, but it also throws light on the deeper malaise. How the officials responsible for these projects escape all responsibility, and none brings their role in the delay of projects to limelight. Now there is a news that the state government is borrowing Rs 8,000 crore for the purpose of funding the languishing infrastructure projects. This borrowing is made against receipts generated by the power development department from the sale of power. The news report says that ‘the newly-established J&K infrastructure development finance corporation (JKIDFC) has guaranteed repayment of loan through pledging of revenue receipts of the PDD from the sale of power.’ In the backdrop of this news the question that surfaces up is the same old one: why in the first place there is delay in the completion of these projects. Why we need to redo the entire thing on an escalated price, putting an undue burden on the public exchequer. Why the sufferings people undergo because of the incompletion of these projects are not factored in anywhere.
The fact of the matter is that the delay in theses projects points towards deep flaws in our administration, for which the top notch bureaucracy is responsible. It also underlines a deeper flaw in the overall political atmosphere in the state. Unless a big picture is put under limelight and the responsibility fixed, no cosmetic measure would do the job.