Jammu, 15 October (H.S.): Accusing the Jammu and Kashmir Government of failing to capitalise on the unprecedented financial and developmental support extended by the Government of India, senior BJP leader and MLA Udhampur East, Ranbir Singh Pathania, today said that the Union Territory was in danger of missing a historic opportunity to transform its developmental landscape due to administrative inertia, inadequate financial management and lack of accountability and work culture.

Referring to reports regarding approximately Rs 34,000 crore in unspent funds and observations of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Pathania said that the situation called for serious introspection, corrective measures and accountability within the administrative machinery.

Pathania also drew attention to audit observations concerning the functioning of various departments, asserting that concerns relating to financial irregularities and administrative shortcomings must be addressed with seriousness. He called for an institutional mechanisms to examine audit observations, fix responsibility wherever lapses were established and ensure that corrective action was taken within a defined timeframe.

Pathania further flagged concerns relating to outsourcing of manpower and the manner in which staffing requirements across departments were being managed. He stressed the need for transparency, rationalisation and accountability in manpower deployment.

Later in the day, Pathania laid the foundation stones of two development projects in Udhampur East, involving a combined outlay of Rs 89.03 lakh. The projects include the construction of a First Aid Centre for Animal Husbandry at Panchayat Roun-I, Udhampur, at a tendered cost of Rs 69.03 lakh, and the construction of a road from Baba Mahadev Mandir to Village Barneah (Phase-I), Block Tikri, under the UT Capex 2026-27 scheme, at an approved cost of Rs 20 lakh. Both the projects are being undertaken through PWD (R&B) Division, Udhampur.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar