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Centre sits on 28 vital Road Projects in JK

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Even as only a few months are left in the current financial year, the Jammu and Kashmir government is awaiting approval for 28 vital road projects submitted to the Centre about six months back under the Central Road Fund (CRF) scheme.&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">Officials informed Greater Kashmir that in July 2013 Public Works Department sent a proposal of 28 prestigious projects to Ministry of Road and Transport for approval, which is still awaited.</span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">&ldquo;We are waiting for Center&rsquo;s nod for these vital projects conceived to connect many unconnected areas,&rdquo; a senior official of the department told Greater Kashmir. He said that this was for the second consecutive year that Centre has put off the CRF road projects submitted by the State.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">&ldquo;The estimated cost of each project is around INR 10 crore and these are all crucial projects which will provide better road connectivity to a huge population of the State,&rdquo; officials said.&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">They said that Government of India (GoI) has continued with its reluctance with regard to the CRF projects for the second consecutive year as last year also it approved only 5 projects out of the 13 projects submitted by the State.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">They added that during 2012-13, 3 road projects were sanctioned for Jammu region, one each for Jammu, Kishtwar and Doda districts, while two were sanctioned for Kashmir region, one each for Baramulla and Pulwama.&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">&ldquo;This year, the State government had placed a proposal of 28 vital road projects to the Ministry of Road and Transport specifically mentioning the importance of the proposed roads in terms of connectivity and economic importance,&rdquo; they said.</span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Officials added that the State was hopeful of getting sanction for most of the projects this time, unlike the last year.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Pertinently under CRF Scheme, barring the rural roads, all State roads including intra and inter- State highways, major district roads and those having economic importance can be taken up.&nbsp; The cost of each proposed road project shall not exceed INR 20 crore unless permitted by the Central government.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Under the scheme, although the revised estimates for projects sanctioned under economic importance are not permissible, but revised estimates for inter-State connectivity projects can be submitted to the Central government for consideration if the cost is likely to exceed beyond the permissible limits.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Source-On Request</span></span></span></p>