Pulwama, Jun 23 (KNO): Despite the elapsing of over eight years since it was sanctioned, the much-awaited mini-secretariat project in Tral town of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district remains far from completion, sparking resentment among locals, who continue to face hardships in the absence of a dedicated administrative complex.
Speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO),the locals said the mini-secretariat was approved in 2017 with an estimated cost of seven crore, aiming to bring all essential administrative services closer to the people of Tral, especially those living in remote villages. The idea was to eliminate the need for people to travel nearly 30 kilometers to Pulwama district headquarters for routine government work.
However, the on-ground reality paints a dismal picture. “Despite some initial groundwork being carried out, barely 30 percent of the construction has been completed over the years and no work has been taken up for the last several years now,” the locals said, adding that the construction has been completely halted for the last five years, leaving the project in limbo.
“The mini-secretariat was supposed to ease our lives. But even after so many years, nothing concrete has come up. We were told the work would resume, but it hasn’t,” said Khursheed Ahmad, a resident of Tral.
“People from far-off areas like Aripal have to face immense difficulties traveling to Pulwama for even minor official work.”
The land for the mini-secretariat, locals said, was allocated by the horticulture department for the purpose. “Yet, repeated representations to authorities have yielded no results. We have raised this issue multiple times with local officials and visiting dignitaries, but our pleas fall on deaf ears,” another local resident said. “A project meant to bring governance to our doorstep has now become a symbol of neglect.”
They appealed to the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and MLA Tral Rafiq Ahmad Naik to intervene and ensure the early completion of the mini-secretariat so that people can access services in their own town without unnecessary travel and expense.
“If the government is serious about decentralizing governance, it must prioritize projects like these which directly impact rural accessibility and administrative efficiency,” said another concerned local.
Officials said that the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC), was executing the project earlier but due to funding constraints they were unable to resume the work on the project.
“Prior to the abrogation of Article 370, the local MLA had sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the project. That is the only funding which was received so far,” officials said
“A fresh Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the pending works has been submitted to the higher authorities. We are hopeful it will be approved and the remaining funds will be released.” they added—(KNO)