Panel turns down road ministry proposal for 2 tunnels in Jammu & Kashmir | India News

NEW DELHI: The proposal to construct two tunnels — Singhpora-Vailoo and Sudhmahadev-Dranga — on the Anantnag-Chenani hall in J&Ok has hit hurdles, with the expenditure secretary-headed Public Investment Board (PIB) lately turning down advice for their development, citing a number of causes, together with price. Earlier, the bid for the Singhpora-Vailoo tunnel was scrapped.
Besides the massive price of round Rs 8,900 crore and that there being an present road connecting the origin and vacation spot in respect of every of the 2 packages, the board additionally recorded that these didn’t fall below strategic roads of the defence ministry, although officers from the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) below the road transport ministry made such a declare in the March 22 assembly.
Last 12 months, the house ministry had not given clearance to the international contractor, which had quoted the bottom quantity for the Singhpora-Vailoo tunnel undertaking, ensuing in termination of the tendering course of. Bids for the undertaking had been invited in 2023.
The PIB, which took up the tasks proposed by NHIDCL, additionally recorded that the company didn’t present site visitors particulars on the prevailing and proposed road between the origin and vacation spot. Sources mentioned the inter-ministerial panel, which appraises all public-funded tasks earlier than these are positioned earlier than the Cabinet for approval, additionally took notice that there was no proof of direct profit out of the 2 tasks.
The PIB additionally famous that there’s a good high quality various road.
Now, with the PIB turning them down, there may be uncertainty of the tasks taking off any time quickly. Since the finance ministry directed the road transport ministry to not approve any contemporary undertaking below Bharatmala, all freeway works costing past Rs 1,000 crore must go to the Cabinet for approval after appraisal by the PIB and the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Appraisal Committee in case of totally public-funded and PPP tasks, respectively.
“The recent development and observation of PIB has shown how there may be many cases where projects not deserving to be taken up might have been cleared under Bharatmala. If this project had been bid out, these facts wouldn’t have come out,” mentioned a supply.