JAMMU, Dec 07: Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Monday issued instructions to executing agencies not to allow time overrun in execution of various ongoing projects in health, education, tourism and other connected sectors.
He also issued directions to Irrigation & Flood Control (I&FC) Department to expedite work on realignment of Irrigation Canal and shifting of utilities which will facilitate early execution of work on the much-needed expansion of Jammu Airport runway.
The Chief Minister issued these instructions while on extensive tour of the winter capital, a regular feature with him to take firsthand appraisal of ongoing developmental projects.
Mufti Sayeed, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Kumar Singh, inspected works on New Legislature Complex, Dental College & Maternity Hospitals, Bikram Chowk Flyover, Jammu Ropeway, MAM College, Nikki Tawi Bridge, Artificial Lake and realignment of Irrigation Canal near Belicharana.
Minister for Public Works, Floriculture, Gardens & Parks, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Minister for PHE, I&FC, Sukhnandan Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas and Divisional Commissioner, Dr. Pawan Kotwal were also present.
The Chief Minister first inspected the under-construction new Legislature Complex, which is being constructed by JKPCC at a cost of Rs.160 crore. He was informed that the work on the exteriors will be completed by March next year.
Being constructed over an area of 2.65 lakh sq. ft., the six-floored Legislature Complex will be connected to the Civil Secretariat by an aerobridge and will house new Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council and their Secretariats. Provision of parking in the basement, besides other paraphernalia, have also been incorporated in the project.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Kavinder Gupta and Secretary, Mohammad Ramzan, was also present during the visit of the Chief Minister.
Mufti Sayeed also reviewed progress of work on realignment of Irrigation Canal and construction of Alternate Road from National Highway to Nikki Tawi via Belicharana to pave way for extension of the Jammu Airport runway.
He was informed that the realignment of the Irrigation Canal will be completed by December 2016. The project is being executed at a cost of Rs.59.80 crore by I&FC Department. Similarly, the work on Alternate Road connectivity to Nikki Tawi is being executed at a cost of Rs.22 crore.
Besides the road, the project entails components of land compensation, shifting of utilities and reconstruction of army structures and assets, in lieu of the existing structures near the Airport.
The execution of these projects will enable the Airport Authority of India to initiate the work on extension of Jammu Airport runway by another 1300 ft, which is considered to be a critical requirement in up-gradation of the airport.
The Chief Minister also received a briefing by MD JKPCC on Nikki Tawi Bridge, which is being constructed at a cost of Rs.27 crore. The bridge, which will provide much-needed connectivity to people residing nearby, is slated to be completed by June 2017.
Immediately after his arrival at Bikram Chowk Flyover, being executed by J&K Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), the Chief Minister was briefed about the broad contours of the project, which is being constructed at a cost of Rs.72 crore.
CEO ERA, Vinod Sharma, informed the Chief Minister that 50 per cent progress has been achieved on the project, which has been taken up under Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded J&K Urban Sector Development Investment Programme (USDIP). It is scheduled for completion by December 2016.
The Flyover will substantially decongest the traffic between old and new Jammu city and shall provide succour to the commuters on one of the busiest traffic junctions of the winter capital.
While reviewing work on Barrage-cum-Tawi Lake, the Chief Minister issued directions for fast-tracking the work on the project, which will give a new look to the winter capital besides giving fillip to tourism industry.
The Chief Minister issued directions for fast-tracking construction of the barrage, which is one of the major components of the project for creating Jammu city’s first artificial water-body.
The barrage water will also be utilized to augment the irrigation facilities in the paddy-growing areas of the district.
The Chief Minister was briefed that the reservoir would enable to lift nearly 700 cusecs of water from river Tawi to recharge Ranbir Canal to irrigate 8000 kanals of agriculture land at the tail-end areas, which still depend on rainfall.
Secretary PHE, I&FC, Pervez Malik, was also present on the occasion.
While inspecting work on the prestigious Jammu Ropeway Project, which will connect Bahu Fort to Peer Khoo, Mufti Sayeed desired that technology comparable to Gulmarg Gandola Project should be deployed to create a major attraction for tourists visiting the winter capital. He said the picturesque location for operationalizing the cable car will surely play a key role in increasing the footfall of travellers as it connects the two major heritage sites of the city – Mubarak Mandi and Bahu Fort.
The Chief Minister was briefed that the total cost of the project is Rs.61.92 crore on which all required clearances, including one from UMoEF (Union Ministry of Environment & Forests), have been obtained. The Jammu Ropeway is scheduled to be completed by June 2017.
Taking review of expansion of healthcare facilities, Mufti Sayeed first arrived at Gandhi Nagar to inspect the pace of work on 200-bedded Government Maternity Hospital, being constructed by R&B Department at a cost of Rs.50 crore. He was informed that so far Rs.25 crore have been spent on the project which is expected to be completed by August next year.
The maternity hospital, with five floors and a basement, will be laced with all modern facilities required for mother and neo-natal care.
The Chief Minister also inspected the Government Dental Hospital at Amphalla which is nearing completion at a cost of Rs. 37.80 crore. The six-storey structure, which is in conformity with DCI guidelines, will facilitate in delivering quality medical facilities to dental patients, besides creating infrastructure for departments like Oral Medicine and Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Periodontics, Conservative Dentistry and Orthodontics.
During the briefings, Minister for Health and Medical Education, Ch. Lal Singh and Secretary, H&ME, Dr. M. K Bhandari, were also present.
The Chief Minister later arrived at MAM College, where he reviewed progress of construction works on Cluster University, taken up under RUSA (Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan), a MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development) scheme for improving quality of higher education in the country.
The Chief Minister was briefed that nearly Rs.60 crore will be spent for setting up of a School of Humanities and Liberal Arts and construction of additional classrooms to meet the eligibility criteria required for up-gradating existing facilities to the level of University. The work on the project is expected to be completed by April next year.
Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar and Commissioner / Secretary, Higher Education, Sarita Chauhan, were also present on the occasion.
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