Srinagar, Mar 11: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday provided clarification regarding the delay in the AMRUT Scheme and the drainage project in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
Responding in a written reply to a question from Congress MLA Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, the government provided updates on the AMRUT Scheme and the drainage project in Bandipora town.
According to the response, AMRUT 1.0 included only Jammu, Srinagar, and Anantnag. However, AMRUT 2.0 was later expanded to other towns, focusing on water supply projects, including a Rs 7.97 crore water supply project for Municipal Committee (MC) Bandipora.
The government said the delay in implementation was due to slow progress by the Project Development and Management Consultancy (PDMC), which was responsible for preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs). Due to inefficiencies, the PDMC was disengaged, and the responsibility was transferred to the Chief Engineers of the Jal Shakti Department (JSD), it said.
“So far, 72 DPRs for water supply projects have been prepared, with 65 already approved. The DPR for Bandipora’s water supply project is currently under process, with a consultant engaged to conduct field surveys and cost estimation,” the government said.
The drainage project in Bandipora was initiated in 2018-19 under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) at an estimated cost of Rs 4.91 crore. However, due to fund shortages, only Rs 63.21 lakh was spent on underground drainage work, leaving the rest of the project incomplete.
A revised DPR worth Rs 4.28 crore was prepared and approved, but poor response from bidders led to multiple tender cancellations. The enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct further delayed the process, the government said.
The Civil Society of Bandipora has expressed that the already built underground drainage system was sufficient. Upon reassessment, the subsurface drainage system was found to be unfeasible, and it was recommended to shift to an open drainage system instead of covered drains.
The government clarified that no fresh proposal for a deep drainage system is currently under consideration due to challenges and feasibility issues. However, alternative solutions, including the upgradation of the existing open drainage network, are being explored to improve Bandipora’s drainage infrastructure.
