Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday announced that the Jammu and Kashmir Government would order an inquiry into the implementation of the Srinagar Smart City Project, saying the widespread waterlogging witnessed across the city following heavy rainfall had exposed glaring deficiencies in one of the Valley’s biggest urban infrastructure programmes.
Addressing a press conference, Omar Abdullah described the situation as “shameful”, pointing out that even the ground floor of the Civil Secretariat was inundated after the downpour.
“If the Civil Secretariat itself gets flooded, it reflects the gravity of the problem and raises serious questions about the quality and planning of the works executed under the Smart City Project,” he said.
The Chief Minister alleged that while the project had focused extensively on beautification of the Jhelum riverfront and other cosmetic improvements, fundamental civic infrastructure, particularly storm-water drainage and flood management, had failed to receive the attention they deserved.
“The banks of the Jhelum were beautified, but the rest of the city remains in a mess,” he remarked, adding that the recent rains had exposed weaknesses in the city’s drainage network despite years of Smart City works.
Omar Abdullah said the government had already decided in a Cabinet meeting to conduct an independent third-party audit of the Srinagar Smart City Project, but the formal government order was yet to be issued.
He said the audit would objectively examine whether the works executed under the project matched the original Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), whether public funds had been utilised efficiently, whether the quality of construction met prescribed standards and whether the project had actually delivered the outcomes promised to the people.
He said the review would also assess the overall implementation of the project and identify deficiencies requiring corrective measures.
The Srinagar Smart City Project was implemented through Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL), a Special Purpose Vehicle constituted under the Centre’s Smart Cities Mission, which has undertaken urban infrastructure works across Srinagar over the past several years.
His remarks came against the backdrop of growing public criticism over recurring waterlogging, prolonged construction activity, traffic congestion, inadequate parking facilities and concerns that despite expenditure running into thousands of crores of rupees, several components of the project had not delivered the expected improvements in urban infrastructure.
The government has maintained that these concerns would now be independently examined through the proposed audit.
The Chief Minister said his government would deploy every available resource to permanently address the problem of waterlogging in Srinagar, adding that engineering solutions would be prioritised to improve the city’s drainage system and minimise flooding during future spells of heavy rainfall.
He further announced that the administration would undertake a detailed assessment of losses suffered by people due to waterlogging and compensate eligible victims in accordance with the existing disaster relief norms and government guidelines. [KNT]
