BGSBU road in awful condition. Massive protests by students & people. DC Rajouri assures early AAA/ commencement of construction work.

GNSONLINE RAJOURI
SHYAM SOOD

RAJOURI, NOVEMBER 01:—Two ICON development projects in Rajouri town, including Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) road and Mini Secretariat complex, initiated many years ago, yet to see the light of day allegedly due to official apathy.
At present BGSBU road has been in worst and awful condition for the last more than 4 years and besides students, staff & faculty of BGSBU, the inhabitants of seven Panchayats and three wards of Rajouri Municipal Council facing immense problems while moving on this road.
It is also pertinent to mention here that four major offices of the Union Government, including Station (Brigade) HQs, Central Intelligence Agency office, Doordarshan complex, Danidhar Fort and UNO’s office is also situated on this important road and the present condition of the road is black spot on the face of Rajouri Administration.
Recently a girl student of PG College Rajouri became a victim of the worst condition of the road and was referred to Chandigarh hospital with head injury.
BGSBU students in collaboration with local residents have been holding protest demonstrations for the last few months against the UT Government, District Administration and PWD(R&B) officials.
Even on Tuesday BGSBU students and the locals lead by Aftab Majid Choudhary (sarpanch Dhanore Jaralan); Shamim Parvez, president ABVP unit of students of BGSBU & Aniket Kumar (ABVP) held a massive protest against worst &awful condition of the road and they also blocked the road for about 3 hours.
“No district officer, including DC Rajouri, came to listen to our grievances. Instead, a police team was sent to crush our voice as none of the officers has confident reply to tell us why and till when the ongoing construction work of double laning of this road would be completed,” said Aftab & Shamim.
“Had the vice-Chancellor of BGSBU taken up the matter of this very important road with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also Chancellor of BGSBU, the students would have not faced such problems because VC is also on good terms with Lt Governor” said Mohd Arif Jatt, President Rajouri MC.
Initially in 2004-5 road was constructed for a width of 6 meters having a carriageway of 3 meters benefitting about 41000 souls indirectly/indirectly besides feeding various link roads of PWD/PMGSy/BRO and has also importance related to Defence, Telecom & Information.
After the establishment of BGSBU (in 2005-6) several deputations of prominent citizens met the then Principal Secretary Finance (PSF) for up-gradation on the nomenclature Rajouri to BGSBU.
According to (as per details provided by the SE, PWD (R&B) office through DIO) DPR was prepared on the direction of PSF for an amount of Rs 3152 lacs & submitted to higher authorities for accord Administrative Approval(AAA).
After the visit of the then PSF to Rajouri on January 30, 2019, Rajouri to the BGSBU road project was sanctioned under Languishing vide LUP No-1943 in the 6th High Power Committee Meeting on 25/2/2019.
PWD (R&B) initiated construction/widening work on this ICON BGSBU road project with a DPR cost of Rs.31.52 Cr without Accord of Administrative Approval (AAA) which is the main hurdle at present.
The contractor has completed about 60% work proposed for rigid pavement (about 700 meters). As the project was sanctioned under Languishing for 2019-20 road project funded by JKIDFC, no payment has been released yet by the JKIDFC.
The contractor has already spent about Rs 12 crore (1200 lacs) to date, but no payment till date.
When contacted, Vikas Kundal, IAS, Deputy Commissioner said that keeping in view the immense problem being faced by students, faculty of BGSBU and people living in the area and visiting for official works, the matter has been discussed several times with concerned higher authorities.
There were many official/technical hurdles in the release of funds for BGSBU road, including the widening/construction work that was started without the Accord of Administrative Approval (AAA).
“As the road is of immense importance because a large population lives along this road and few important Central Government offices are also situated on this road, fresh files carrying the latest engineering/ official specifications have been prepared and sent to higher authorities for AAA,” said Vikas Kundal.
“Time frame can’t be predicted for the AAA, but I can sure the people that soon the work on this important road will be started after AAA which is now imminent,” said Vikas Kundal.