Er. Javaid Iqbal Tara, Director Kashmir, J&KERA (Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency) today inspected the project sites of various road and bridge sub-projects being executed by JKPCC (Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation) under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project.

During site visit to Rs 8.37 widening and upgradation of Amberpora-Haritar-Akhoonpora road in Baramulla, Manager, JKPPC informed Er. Javaid Tara that work on the sub-project is under way on the component of widening & sub-base work with a cumulative progress of more than 45% achieved on the sub-project. Director ERA asked the JKPCC officers to further accelerate the progress of work on the vital road sub-project which will provide people of the area most of whom have agriculture and horticulture as main source of livelihood with improved and faster access to market .

Javaid Tara during visit to Rs 7.4 crore bridge at Waza Mohalla,at Kreeri was informed that the sub-structure for the 1X 50 metre bridge over frastarhar nallah has been completed and now the impetus is being given on the construction of the superstructure of the bridge for which procurement process is already underway.

Similarly sub-structure of Rs 6.6 crore Shrakwara Bridge at Wagoora over Ninglinallah has also been completed with fabrication of superstructure already started for which material has also been procured informed the JKPCC officers.

Javaid Tara also visited Wagilla were work on 1x50 meter span bridge is being executed at an cost of Rs 8.6 crores. He was informed by JKPCC officers that work on sub-structure has already been completed and presently fabrication of girders for the superstructure is going on.

Later he also visited the Gogjidaji in Sopore aswell as Trikolabal in Pattan were work on Rs 5 crore and Rs 6.3 crore bridges is underway with work on the sub-structure completed in Shrakwara Bridge while as work on the sub-structure on side has been completed while as work on another side of the sub-structure is under execution. Director JKERA emphasized upon the JKPCC engineers to ensure completion of the substructure during the winter season owing to the low level of water in the nallah and also directed them to expediate the pace of work on the said bridge sub-project which is crucial to providing the people of the area with all weather connectivity.

Director Kashmir asked the JKPCC officers to expedite the progress of work on all the road and bridge sub-projects and chalk out a scientific strategy for the earliest completion of all the sub-projects within the stipulated timelines and also ensure strict compliance to social safeguard , environmental , quality control norms and avoid cost overruns.

Shri Atal Dullo, IAS Financial Commissioner , Health and Medical Education Department today reviewed the progress on the 50 million USD (Rs 368 crores) Contingency Emergency Response Component of the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project. Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation (JKMSCL) is functioning as the project implementation unit for the procurement of various critical care medical equipment to be provided to the hospitals across J&K.

Shri Atal Dullo said that the World Bank assisted CERC component of JTFRP would be pivotal for strengthening of the Critical Health Care Institutions involved in COVID-19 management up to District level, esp. Intensive Care Units, laboratories etc. He said the component of JTFRP would have an immediate impact on the better management of the pandemic along with tangible impact on providing quality health care services.

Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah (IAS) Chief Executive Officer, JKERA/JTFRP impressed upon the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation (JKMSCL) to complete the procurement without any delays and as per world bank guidelines

Dr. Yashpal Sharma, Managing Director, JKMSCL informed that the project is under implementation and various equipment required for strengthening of health care institution are in the process of procurement and shall be installed in such institutions within next two months.

Financial Commissioner, H&ME directed the JKMSCL to undertake the procurement process of the critical care equipment’s in a transparent, time bound manner as stipulated under the World Bank procurement guidelines so that people of the Union Territory are provided with these much needed equipment’s at an earliest. Financial Commissioner, H&ME also fixed deadlines to JKMSCL for implementation of the project.

The meeting was attended by the Dr.Syed Abid Rasheed Shah (IAS), Chief Executive Officer, JKERA, Director General (Planning) Health and Medical Education Dept, Director, Finance, H&ME , Managing Director, JKSMCL, General Manager, (P&S) and Deputy General Managers of JKMSCL.

Tripartite Portfolio Meeting(TPRM) in its recently held meeting to review the progress of various projects funded by the World Bank across the country and attended by the senior officers of the DEA (Department of Economic Affairs ) Ministry of Finance, Govt of India , World Bank and senior officers of various EA’s (Executing Agencies) executing these projects has expressed immense satisfaction over the marked improvement in the implementation of the World Bank funded USD 250 million Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project in Jammu and Kashmir.

As per the reliable sources the meeting has noted with satisfaction that the project since June 2020 has shown a reasonable progress in implementation. It has appreciated the efforts made by J&KERA to resume work on various sub-projects Post-COVID 19 lockdown and also expressed satisfaction over meeting of the disbursement targets aswell as the progress achieved on the allotment of various sub-projects under the different components of the JTFRP. Meeting has also expressed the satisfaction over the regular updations being made on the project related MIS (Management Information System) and also on the implementation of the various social safeguards measures under the Project

The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, Government of India, has praised Jammu and Kashmir Government for the successful implementation of the World Bank-funded ‘Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project’ (JTFRP).

“We have gone ahead of the previous disbursement targets set by the DEA,” said, Chief Executive Officer, JKERA Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah. He said that his team would continue to give its best in every possible way to complete the vital developmental works under the World Bank-funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project.

“The way we are going now I am optimistic that we will be able to meet all the physical and financial targets set under the forthcoming quarter” the CEO assured.

It may be recalled that the ‘Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project’ (JTFRP) as a project (unit) was integrated with the J&K Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA). The Jammu and Kashmir Government had authorized ERA to make such consequential changes in the processes or structures as may be necessitated by the integration and also enter into any correspondence or discussions with the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of the Union Ministry of Finance and the World Bank, as may be required. In the aftermath of the devastating floods of September 2014, the JTFRP was sanctioned by the World Bank for USD 250 million. The J&K ERA is a special purpose vehicle for the implementation of externally aided projects in J&K .

Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project funded by the World Bank has 7 components which include the components of (1) Reconstruction and strengthening of the Critical Infrastructure, (2) Reconstruction of the roads and bridges, (3) Restoration of the Urban Flood Management System, (4) Restoration and strengthening of the Livelihoods, (5)Strengthening of the Disaster Risk Management System, (6) Contingency Emergency Response for Covid -19 and Implementation Support.

Necessary to mention here that in the last quarter of July- September the appreciable progress has been made under the project with 96.41%, 86.52%,100%,78.30% and 55.15% sub-projects awarded under the component,1,2,3,4 and 5 respectively (having a cumulative cost of 173.13 million USD) while as for the component 6 the JKMSCL which is project implementation unit for the project has been asked to expedite the procurement process for the various critical health care equipment’s which are to be procured under the component 6 of JTFRP to fortify the critical health care equipment’s requirements in J&K .

The TPRM meeting which was conducted via virtual mode was attended by Dr.Syed Abid Rasheed Shah (IAS) Chief Executive Officer, JKERA/JTFRP and also other senior officers of Project Management Unit (PMU), JTFRP and JKERA

Pertinently, JKERA has acquired the requisite expertise in the procedures and guidelines followed in the case of externally funded projects and would ensure a seamless and quick execution process.

Dr, Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Chief Executive Officer, JKERA/JTFRP has said that the key to successful disaster risk mitigation is public participation. He was speaking at a Webinar organised by Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project on the theme of “Promoting Safe Habitat & Structural Safety”.

The Webinar was organised by JTFRP as part of the sensitization campaign on one of its sub-project namely “ Upgrading Design Guidelines ,building codes/ material specifications with respect to multiple Disasters in J&K” under the component of ” Strengthening the Disaster Management Capacity “.

CEO,ERA/JTFRP said that regulatory mechanism alone is not sufficient for developing a much needed approach towards safe homes for people to prevent the loss of lives in case of natural calamities like earthquakes, landslides , avalanches etc to which J&K is very susceptible, but the sustained sensitization of the people on the issue is required to achieve this desired objective. He added that the adoption of the ideal mix of the traditional construction methods as well as the latest scientific construction approach will play a crucial role in this. “We must also take a cue from the scientific sense and traditional wisdom as visible from many of age old historical buildings which have survived many natural calamities without sustaining much of damage “Dr. Abid said.

Dr Abid dwelt at length about the various sub-projects being executed under the component of Strengthening of Disaster Management Capacity of JTFRP which is first of its kind in J&K and its significance for building the resilience to various natural disasters.

Speaking on the occasion Prof. CVR Murthy from I.I.T Madras briefed the participants about the relationship between the Multi-hazards and building permissions and how to correlate the various prevalent multi-hazards in a region while planning the structural designs.

Alpa Sheth, Managing .Director M/S VMS Consultants limited said that there is need to have a separate regulatory system manned by the qualified professionals for granting the building permission who will focus on some of the very basic structural safety norms while granting permissions for construction. She said that the 3rd party reviews and sensitization of people about the issue is also very essential.” People have right to hazard resistant homes and all the stakeholders, planners, architects, bureaucrats, structural engineers have an important role in achieving this objective” Sheth said

Kamal Kishore, Member NDMA spoke on “Policy perspectives on Safe Habitat and Structural Safety”and Dr, Umamaheshwaran Rajasekar, Chair Urban Resilience presented an insight into “ Role of Planning and Design” while as Manu Prakash, CEO, M/S Taru gave an detailed background of the theme.

Hemang Karelia, Task Team Leader, World Bank expressed the hope that the Webinar on the theme of structural safety is a step in right direction so sensitize practioners and people on the importance of safety parameters of building in multihazard prone region like J&K.

The Webinar was attended by more than 150 participants from the across the country which included urban planners, architects, structural engineers, policy makers, researchers and various experts in the field of disaster mitigation and many officers of JTFRP .

Q&A session was also conducted at the conclusion of the webinar during which participants asked various questions to the experts to gain more clarity on the topic.

The traditional wool based industry in the J&K is being given a major overhaul under the ongoing World Bank funded JTFRP (Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project) —a move is being hailed by the people associated with the wool production as well as the employees working at the heritage Govt . Bemina Woolen Mill Srinagar

Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Chief Executive Officer JKERA/JTFRP said that the JKERA under the component of Restoration and Strengthening of Livelihoods of the World Bank funded JTFRP is taking concrete steps for the restoration/strengthening of livelihoods under the traditional cottage based industry and this step a major revamp is underway for the restoration of Govt. Woollen Mills at Bemina .He said that the objective of the sub-project is to strengthen the infrastructure of the heritage mill and provide the machinery with latest equipment’s so that the production of wool products is maximised to full potential.. Besides the local wool producers also get a good demand for their produce locally, CEO said.

The CEO said that the work under on the component of Strengthening & Restoration of Livelihood as well as other components of JTFRP are going on smoothly , saying that with the completion of such projects, the concerned sectors would get hugely benefited.

“We are trying to work on the various components across Jammu and Kashmir at the same time. We hope our interventions bring about a positive impact in the lives of beneficiaries” the CEO said.

He said for the heritage Bemina Woolen Mills, the project is being executed by the Department of Industries and Commerce as the project implementation unit.

The sub-project involves the construction of a building of Showroom and for Wool products manufactured at the Govt. Woollen Mills , Bemina, were wool products manufactured at the Govt. Woollen Mills,Bemina will be showcased which is being constructed at a cost of Rs 2 crores . It also includes the restoration and repair works of the Government Woolen Mill at Bemina which had suffered immense damage during the floods of 2014 .Work is nearing completion and is expected to be completed soon with more than 80% progress achieved on the sub-project with work already completed on the main buildings and work underway on interior finishing components.

Sajid Nazir, Nodal Officer, Industries and Commerce, J&K, said that under the component various latest equipment’s have been being procured, including 8 hi-tech looms in order to strengthen the infrastructure at Government Woolen Mills Bemina. Besides this, the component aims to carry out the procurement of Rapier looms, boilers, dyeing and related types of equipment etc for which contract has been awarded.

“Overall the sub-project involves the civil work component under which new showrooms cum interpretation centre came up. The Showroom would be completed soon and this will surely help our products to get the better market,” Nazir said.

He said that in order to arrest losses, the J & K government from time to time invested money into the rundown Bemina Woolen Mills to improve its products that had plummeted to an all-time low.

He said that Jammu and Kashmir is one of the top ten states/UTs, which has the top quality wool production. Nazir said that with the commissioning of several of these sub-projects, the demand for the raw wool produced locally would be in great demand at Government Bemina Woollen Mill would not only benefit the department but around 3000 families associated with the wool production and its processing.

Another official, Khurshid Ahmad at Bemina Woolen Mills said that “2014 floods washed away everything at the Mill and most of the expensive machines and looms got washed away,” he said. He said that while a washing unit was installed and old machines repaired, most of the capital infusion was devoured by the civil works.”

He said that the upgradation works of the Govt. Woollen Mill at Bemina will help them to increase the production from next fiscal. “We have nearly hundreds of workers and the unit has suffered immensely and once we achieve the target, we should be able to have a bit of profit as well,” he said.

Pertinently, the government-run Bemina Woolen Mill is marketing certain finished products and is trying to compete with larger manufactures like Raymonds and Vimal beside the J&K Handicrafts Development Corporation which is the major Tweed manufacturer in J&K. The officials said that thrust would remain on producing high quality woollen & worsted tweed suiting, serge, Angola, Terricot, blankets.

Basharat Jeelani Kawoosa Director Technical, Project Management Unit , Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery project exhorted upon the R&B, Kashmir and JKPCC which are executing the work on various school ,higher education building, bridge and road sub-projects under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project in the valley.

Basharat Jeelani Kawoosa said this during the day long inspection of various works in south Kashmir which are under execution in various parts of the south Kashmir.

During visit to the Rs 21.25 crore Rohmoo Bridge in Pulwama District, Showkat Ahmad, General Manager, JKPCC informed that work on the sub-structure of the bridge has been completed and fabrication is underway on the superstructure. Director Technical asked the JKPCC to expedite pace of work on the bridge sub-project and also advised them to start work on other parallel activities like demarcation of the approaches for the bridge, procurement of the bridge bearings.

At Trenz Bridge in Shopian work on which is also being executed by JKPPC at a cost of Rs 34.50 crores , G.M,JKPCC informed that the work on the sub-structure is underway and he assured that work on same shall be completed within 3 weeks. Director, Technical asked the JKPPC to accelerate the work on the bridge sub-project with the start of work on other parallel activities like demarcation of approaches and other allied activites.

Director Technical also inspected progress of work on the construction /upgradation of Rs 3.36 crore Malangpora-Chakora-Chowdhary Bagh-Litter-road in Pulwama which is also being executed by JKPPC. He inspected the laying of macadam which was underway. G.M JKPCC said that work on the road sub-project will be completed within 15-20 days. Inhabitants living along both the sides of the road expressed satisfaction with the upgradation of the road under JTFRP

Later in the day Basharat Kawoosa visited various project sites were work is being executed by R&B, Kashmir. During visit to the construction additional classroom block at Govt Degree College , Bijbehara which is being executed by the R&B,Kashmir at a cost of Rs 9.21 crores. concerned A.E.E of R&B informed that work on the ground floor of the block has been completed and shuttering for laying of slab on 1st floor is underway.

He also visited the various sites in Arwani, Naina Batpora, Bijbehara etc were work on the construction of various school buildings is underway by R&B,Kashmir under the JTFRP.

Director, Technical also visited the Wachi Bridge site work on which is being executed by R&B, Kashmir at an estimated cost of Rs 3.1 crores. It was informed that requisite test pile investigation of the site has been undertaken and initial load test is being undertaken presently.

Director, Technical, JTFRP asked the officers of the JKPCC and R&B,Kashmir to further accelerate the pace of work on all the sub-projects with specific impetus on parallel activities and undertake all the allied activities to prevent the slippage of timelines and cost overruns.

Valleys Largest Orthopaedic hospital at Barzulla, Srinagar is all set to get a big infrastructural push with the construction of state of art additional 120 bedded hospital block being constructed under the component of Strengthening of the Critical Infrastructure of the World Bank funded JTFRP (Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project).

Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Chief Executive Officer today inspected the progress of work on the sub-project were civil-work had already started and today work on the laying of piles for the construction of main building was started formally. Dr. Samia Rashid Principal, Govt. Medical College was also present on the occasion.

Basharat Jeelani Kawoosa, Director Technical, JTFRP informed the CEO that the building has G+4 structure with modern earthquake resilient technology, the upgradation involves the modular operation theatres ,laminar flow system, TSSU (Theatre Sterile Supply Unit), ICU, Pre & Post Operation care wards , CSSD (Central Sterile Supply Department) , specialized laundry, pneumatic tube system and waste collection system . The main features of the hospital building would include IGBC (India Green Building Council) rating system, biomedical waste management .The bio-medical system designed will cater to the bio-medical generation of 140 kgs/day which will be disposed off along the scientific lines since it also has the provision for the construction of STP/ETP (Sewerage Treatment Plant & Effluent Treatment Plant) as part of the sub-project. He said work on the sub-project has been allotted to NPCC (National Projects Construction Corporation) at a cost Rs 88.94 crores.

He said that various modern concepts in the health care infrastructure including environmental designs, patient wellbeing, macro/micro level zoning, scope for futuristic development and optimal area utilization are also being taken into account. He added that the design of the hospital has been finalised after several rounds of consultations with the leading health infrastructure experts, health dept and hospital administration and their inputs have been incorporated into the final design.

Basharat said that the work on the sub-project was started in July this year and necessary soil investigation tests along with other techno-feasibility tests have already been conducted at site along with the site clearance and dumping of the excavated materials at an appropriate location.

Dr. Abid directed the representatives of the NPCC and R&B (PIU for the project) to ensure the completion of work within the stipulated timeframe. He directed NPCC to mobilise more men and machinery at site to accelerate the pace of pilling work as well as the other components of the work since the construction of the additional 120 bedded block will provide the much needed quality treatment /care to the patients and increase the intake capacity of the largest orthopaedic hospital in valley.

Dr Samia Rashid, Principal GMC said “ The construction of the additional 120 bedded hospital block is an huge opportunity to upgrade the infrastructure in one of the vital hospitals of the valley, which had suffered immense damage due to the floods of 2014” .
Iftikhar Hakim, Director, Planning and Coordination, JTFRP, Prof . Altaf , Nodal Officer on behalf of health dept for the sub-project , Dr Suhail Mian Medical Superintendent, Bone and Joints Hospital ,Barzulla and other senior officers of JTFRP and Health Dept also accompanied the CEO JKERA/JTFRP during the site visit.

For fast and timely containment of the accidental fires in the congested areas J&KERA (Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency) under its World Bank funded JTFRP (Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project) has provided 17 Quick Response Vehicles (QRV) to the Fire and Emergency Services Department.

These 17 QRV’s (Quick Response Vehicles) worth Rs1.73 crores for fire-fighting and nearly 26 more which will include 17 MPFT (Multi-Purpose Fire Tenders) apart from 09 regular Fire tenders are going to be added to the fleet soon. The Jammu and Kashmir is set to get a major fleet of modern, compact fire tenders that could improve response time to provide a cutting edge to fire and rescue services in J&K.

The Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (JKERA) under the component of Strengthening of the Disaster Management Capacity of the World Bank funded JTFRP is taking up the much needed modernization of the ageing fleet of fire tenders and equipping it with advanced fire-fighting materials..

The officials at the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said that with the addition of these vehicles under JTFRP, the fire fighters of the department could serve even in the narrowest of lanes in congested areas of the Srinagar and Jammu cities which are prone to accidental fires.

“This is really useful addition to our fleet. With these vehicles, we can now cater to different and difficult fire accident-prone areas across Jammu and Kashmir with accuracy,” said, Bashir Ahmad Shah, Deputy Director, Fire and Emergency Service, headquarter Srinagar.

“We have received 17 mini-vehicles (QRVs) from JTFRP and more latest and sophisticated firefighting equipment’s are coming. I am sure that it would be a shot in the arm of our firefighting team to operate in busy areas and ensuring better results,” he said.

He said that 17 quick response vehicles that were received from JTFRP have been distributed to several districts across Jammu and Kashmir.

“The quick response vehicles, which would be stationed in every divisional and district headquarters has a foam tank and fire extinguisher to douse the fire in congested areas where normal fire tenders would find it difficult to enter for want of adequate space,” Shah said, adding “These vehicles are also useful for handling oil fires, besides it has a 60 litres mounted tank which contains foam.”

Another official, Noor Alam, Sub Officer, Fire Service Headquarter, Srinagar, said that “the vehicle is first aid for dousing the fire till we get the massive vehicles to the areas.” “Sometimes, somewhere, fire breaks out from areas like kitchen or bathroom in the congested areas and it becomes very difficult for us to move with heavy vehicles, so these QRVs have come handy,” Alam said.

Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, the firefighters have also been deployed for spraying disinfectants at specified locations across the region.

The officials at the Fire and Emergency Services department said with the help of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, the QRVs and other vehicles have been also being used for spraying disinfectants in congested areas and hospitals in view of the pandemic.

Chief Executive Officer, JKERA/JTFRP, Syed Abid Rasheed Shah appreciated the firefighters for their proactive role in firefighting and for remaining at the frontline in the battle against COVID-19.

“As part of the strengthening of the Disaster Risk Management Capacity these vehicles will go a long way in augmenting the fire and emergency response system on modern lines , we are hopeful that the F& ES Dept. will utilise these well and any fire related emergency can be tackled in a quick efficient and effective manner” he said.

Dr.Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Chief Executive Officer, JKERA/JTFRP today inspected the progress of work on the various mega storm water drainage sub-projects being executed by JKERA under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project in the various parts of the Srinagar City

These storm water drainage sub-projects are being constructed under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project with an objective of strengthening the urban flood management infrastructure in the various flood prone areas of the Srinagar City.

During visit to Bonapora-Padshahi Bagh storm water drainage sub-project , Javid Iqbal Tara, Director, Kashmir informed the CEO,JKERA/JTFRP that the sub-project involves the laying of 12.7 kms of drainage network along with the construction of MPS (main pumping station) and IPS (Intermediate pumping station) at feasible locations which will be equipped with the latest electromechanical equipment’s like submersible pumps which can function even in the water logged conditions, electrical transformers, DG sets, Servo of required capacities. He said that work on the sub-project is underway in full swing and till date 2000 meters of the drainage network has been laid The sub-project will benefit more than 50,000 people living in one of the most flood prone areas of the Srinagar city which include areas like Padshahi bagh, Mehjoor Nagar, Bonapora, Nowgam etc having a catchment area of around 121 hectares.

During site visit to the Rs 54.70 crores Missing links Zone-I storm water drainage subproject Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed was informed that the said drainage sub-project involves the laying of of 38.269 kms of the drainage network in the areas which due to various reasons were left out in the earlier schemes and will now be connected with the existing drainage schemes in these areas. Director Kashmir said that as on date more than 5000 meters of drainage network has been laid under the sub-project .He said subproject will benefit more than 60,000 people living in the various areas of the Srinagar city from Nowgam Chowk to Bemina crossing on National Highway byepass and from Shalteng to HMT crossing on Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway having a total catchment of 220 hectares

Later, CEO ERA/JTFRP also visited the Nadir Gund were JKERA is executing work on the construction of Rs 12.8 crore Nadroo storm water drainage scheme were CEO,ERA/JTFRP was informed that sub-project involves the construction of 5.9 kms of the drainage network in the areas of Nadir –Gund, Al-Fazal colony, Noorani colony, Hafiz colony, Peerbagh etc along with the construction of MPS (main pumping station) near Peer bagh bridge which will be fully equipped with the latest electromechanical equipment’s, submersible pumps, DG sets, transformers etc. Dr. Abid was informed that till date 3000 meters of the drainage network has been laid . It was informed that the sub-project will benefit more than 10,000 people living in the catchment area spread over 30.67 hectares.

Dr.Syed Abid also personally monitored various quality control checks like concrete strength tests being undertaken during the various stages of the construction. CEO, ERA/JTFRP directed the engineers and quality control consultants of JKERA/JTFRP to strictly monitor the quality control parameters of the work and asked the engineers to work in coordinated manner with mission mode to ensure the completion of the works within the set timelines .

During his site visit CEO,JKERA/JTFRP also interacted with several people in the project areas who expressed gratitude to CEO,JKERA for addressing their long pending demand of the construction of drainage network and said that the construction of these sub-projects will provide them much needed relief from getting water logging during the rainy season.

Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency today started work on Rs 9.67 crores “Rigid Concrete Pavement “of Civil –Secretariat to Rambagh Chowk road . The work on the sub-project being executed under World Bank funded JTFRP (Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project) was kick started in presence of Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah (IAS), Chief Executive Officer, J&KERA/JTFRP.
Javed Iqbal Tara, Director, Kashmir JKERA informed CEO,JKERA/JTFRP that the 1.9 kms long road stretch is being upgraded with an objective of the making the flood vulnerable portions of the Indira Gandhi road resilient to floods by using the rigid concrete pavement technology instead of the conventional flexible pavement which is more susceptible to damages during water logging. He said the road portion is being upgraded at an approximate cost of Rs 9.16 crores and will be strengthened with the laying three layers comprising of GSB (Granular sub Base), DLC (Dry Lean Concrete) and the final layer of PQC (Pavement Quality Concrete) The project has a timeline of 12 months and will directly benefit thousands of people living on both the sides of the road which include Rambagh, Solina, Allochibagh,Tulsi Bagh, Hazuri Bagh, Magarmal Bagh,Saraibala,Shaheedgunj, Maharaji Bazar, Natipora,Bakshi Stadium,Batmaloo etc.
Dr. Syed Abid Shah also inspected the progress of work on the “Rigid Concrete Pavement” of 1.49 km Peerbagh-Humhama road portion of the Indira Gandhi road in Srinagar. Director, Kashmir, JKERA informed that work on road stretch is in full swing and as on date work on 500 meters of road stretch has been completed.
This is for the first time ever that any of the roads is being upgraded in valley using the “Concrete Rigid Pavement Technology”. The rigid concrete pavement technology is being used as a long term protection against the recurrent damages caused due to the frequent water logging during the torrential rains and to make the vital road stretch leading upto to the Srinagar International Airport more durable and flood resilient.

Similarly another very significant road in Srinagar city which is also vulnerable to recurrent damages due to water logging – eastern foreshore road around the Brari-Nambal waterbody in downtown Srinagar is also being upgraded using the “Rigid Concrete Pavement” technology under JTFRP. Confirmatory survey on the sub-project is underway and work on sub-project is being started soon.
Dr.Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Chief Executive Officer, J&KERA/JTFRP directed the engineers to complete all the necessary formalities that are prerequisite for the start of work on other road sub-projects.. He also directed engineers to closely supervise and monitor the progress of works under execution to ensure that timelines for the completion of these works are met and all the quality control parameters of the works are fully complied with.
J&K ERA is executing the road upgradation sub-project as PIU (Project Implementation Unit) for the World Bank funded JTFRP (Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project) under the component of Construction of Roads and Bridges.

Worth mentioning J&KERA under the JTFRP is PIU (project implementation project) for several other major road upgradation projects’ in Kashmir which include upgradation of Kadlabal-Lasjan, Pampore –Pulwama road, Hamray –Sultanpora Nowgam to Sumbal bridge , Shadipora –Khanpeeth Sumbal road, Hajin Ajas road via Saidanara, Rambagh- Civil secretariat road , Eastern foreshore road, Peerbagh to Humhama road, Parimpora-Soibugh road, Sangam-Khudwani road, Bijbehara to Karihama National Highway via Katriteng in Kashmir Division with a cumulative cost of Rs 270 crores approximately.