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Jammu and Kashmir, often acknowledged as ‘heaven on earth’ because of its beautifully stretched natural valleys, alluring lakes, and magnificent cheddar trees, is one of the Union Territories administered by the Government of India. It is located in the utmost north of the country and consists of various mountain ranges, primarily the Himalayas that run through the entire place, thus giving it a rocky and uneven terrain. Various rivers like the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab flow through the UT.
In this scenario, and also because of previous disputes regarding the partition and claim of the land by China and Pakistan, construction and development work in the region had been a subject of conflict. However, recently, after the repeal of article 370, the government has started various construction projects in Jammu and Kashmir again. This article covers all the major areas of focus in construction planning.
Construction projects in Jammu and Kashmir
According to the data shared by the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, there are three criteria on the basis of which all construction projects in Jammu and Kashmir are divided. These include:
Government infrastructure projects (public-private partnership)
The PPP or the Public-Private Partnership Projects are a joint contract or effort between a private sector company and the government or a statutory entity. This has been actively used by the developing countries for undertaking the construction work. Most of the work allotted under PPP was either in the ‘pre-construction, under-construction, or ‘operation and maintenance’ stage as of 1st April 2011 or the contract was awarded, i.e. given to the bidder.
Government infrastructure projects (traditional procurements)
Traditional procurements in construction basically refer to a type of contract where the design work is separated from the actual building part and a separate engineer or consultant is hired for the former. These projects were either ‘pre-construction’ or ‘under construction’ as of 1st April 2012 or the contract was awarded afterwards. The project cost of these was upto 50 crores Indian rupees.
Private sector projects
These construction projects in Jammu and Kashmir were taken up by the private industries and were functioning with a budget of up to 1 crore Indian rupees.
The total number of construction projects in Jammu and Kashmir which are operational right now numbers fifty-nine. This includes scheduled work from departments of energy, transportation, communication, water and sanitation, and more, with a total project cost of about 88, 543 crores. These works are undertaken with the mission of developing new infrastructure and maintaining the already existing facilities available in the UT such that it facilitates the overall socio-economic growth of the region.
World Bank projects in Jammu and Kashmir
The World Bank is an international monetary institution. It is constantly working with the Government of India for various poverty alleviation and development programs in the country. So far, the organisation has contributed about $256 million across six projects. One of its major focuses was directed on the Jammu and Kashmir Participatory Watershed Management Project, which started in 1990, with the assistance of $18.57 million from the World Bank. Falling under the IWDP, this program basically aims at improving the irrigation facilities for farmers in various districts of the UT and solving the issue of mismanagement of water resources. Aside from this, various other World Bank projects in Jammu and Kashmir are undertaken like the construction of bridges, infrastructure for higher education, fire and emergency projects, projects related to the health sector, housing, and school education.
Road projects in Jammu and Kashmir
The terrain of Jammu and Kashmir is known for its roughness with the mountains, glaciers, and other ridges. The construction of roads and bridges for interconnecting different areas is quite difficult for this type of geographic region. However, with recent developments in technology, the possibility of establishing a better road network has increased in the last few years. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced separate budgets for the construction of tunnels worth 50,000 crores Indian rupees and roads for 1 lakh crores Indian Rupee in the upcoming 2 years. This will include the construction of the much anticipated National Highway in the UT along with the ‘Peer ki Gali’ tunnel which will shift the traffic from the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The government is also working on carrying out all these projects in an eco-friendly manner to work on a tri-fold mission of infrastructure development, environment protection, and employment generation.
Some of the important National Highway plans taken up last year include the Kathua-Basohli-Bani-Bhaderwah-Doda roadway, Doda-Bhaderwah-Chamba road, Surankote-Bafliaz-Shopian-Srinagar, and more. According to Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari, a total of 25 NHs are to be constructed in a similar manner to facilitate and encourage trade within the region for the progress of Jammu and Kashmir.
Conclusion
The last few years have seen an evolution in technology leading to the inauguration of various development projects in the terrains of Jammu and Kashmir. This includes the infrastructural projects taken up by the government of the country along with the private sector and World Bank for the facilitation of trade and generation of employment in the region. The focus areas of these projects include roads, bridges, tunnels, classrooms, buildings, hospitals, dams, and more. The union ministry of road transport and highways has recently launched a project for the construction of 25 National Highways.
