Srinagar, Mar 07: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday informed the Assembly that the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Batamaloo Mini Secretariat project is currently under consideration. The project, initially estimated at Rs 48.23 crore, has seen its cost revised to Rs 80.26 crore following technical assessments and the need for additional infrastructure.
This comes in response to a question raised by J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president and MLA Tariq Hameed Karra, who sought clarification on the status of the project, which had already incurred an expenditure of Rs 9.82 crore, including Rs 9 crore during the current financial year (FY) 2024-2025.
Responding to Karra’s query, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the portfolio of the Revenue Department, explained that the decision to execute the Mini Secretariat project was made during a District Development Board meeting on October 4, 2017, under the leadership of the then Chief Minister. The project was formalized and circulated by the District Development Commissioner of Srinagar in August 2021.
“Construction on the project began in 2018 with an initial estimated cost of Rs 48.23 crore, and Rs 1 crore was allocated for the initial phase. To date, approximately Rs 9.82 crore has been spent, and the pile foundation work has been completed,” Omar Abdullah added. “A revised DPR has now been submitted, which increases the total estimated cost to Rs 80.26 crore, and it is currently under review.”
