Avinash Azad
In a startling revelation during a recent review meeting, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary uncovered significant irregularities in a road construction project under NABARD in Rajouri district.
The project, which involves the construction of a road from Kochian Mangla Mata to Namb Karali, was falsely reported as completed in official presentations.
Following a site inspection conducted on November 18, 2024, by the Superintending Engineer along with technical officers from PWD(R&B) Division Nowshera, serious deviations from the approved Detailed Project Report (DPR) were discovered.
The inspection revealed that instead of constructing a continuous 4-kilometer stretch as sanctioned, the executing agency had broken the work into five disconnected segments of varying lengths.
The investigation found that while four smaller segments, measuring 500m, 400m, 1000m, and 400m respectively, were completed only up to shingle level, the fifth and longest segment of 1700m remains largely untouched.
Neither earthwork nor culvert installation has been completed on this stretch, and the road grade has not been properly maintained. “This is a clear case of wasteful expenditure as the disconnected road segments serve no public purpose,” stated the Superintending Engineer in an official communication seeking explanation from the Executive Engineer of PWD(R&B) Division Nowshera.
The Superintending Engineer has demanded a detailed explanation for the misrepresentation of facts in the PowerPoint presentation shown to the Deputy Chief Minister. Additionally, orders have been issued to recover payments made for incomplete work from both the contractor and the officials responsible for authorizing these payments.
This incident has raised serious questions about project monitoring and financial oversight within the Public Works Department. The Deputy Chief Minister has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter, highlighting the government’s commitment to maintaining transparency in infrastructure development projects.
The case represents a significant breach of public trust, as the road project, funded under NABARD, was meant to improve connectivity in the region but instead has resulted in fragmented, unusable road segments that fail to serve their intended purpose.
The Hidden News attempted to contact the Superintending Engineer of PWD Rajouri to inquire about the current status of the investigation into the scam, but he did not respond to the call.
