Bhalla concludes 3-day visit to Doda, Kishtwar

Excelsior Correspondent
DODA-BHADERWAH, June 21: Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture, Raman Bhalla, today directed the District Development Commissioner to depute a team of officers for actual assessment of loss in all the interior areas caused due to recent earthquake so that the compensation could be disbursed among them at the earliest.
This was stated by the Minister while interacting with the officers at a high level meeting held at Dak Banglow at Doda.
MLA, Mohammad Sharief Niaz, MLC, Naresh Gupta, District Development Commissioner, Mubarak Singh, Director Hortic-ulture, Anil Kumar Sharma, Additional Deputy Commissioner, G N. Balwan besides other senior officers of Horticulture and Revenue were present in the meeting.
The Minister said that Government has already sanctioned Rs. 25 crore for quake hit areas of the districts which have been released to the concerned Deputy Commissioners for prompt restoration of public services.
Bhalla said that besides demanding relief package for the earthquake affected people of Doda, Badharwah, Kishtwar and Ramban on the pattern of Ladakh package from the Centre, the State Government would mobilize its own resources to provide best possible relief to the affected for reconstruction of their damaged structures.
Later, the Minister inspected various partially damaged buildings including Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Bhaderwah, Horticulture Complex at Kotli, Tourist Reception Centre, Passari, House of Zafferullah Bhatt and Tariq Hussain at Ban Doda, Tehsil Office at Doda, Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Doda, BSNL Exchange, SSP Office, DDC office, Horticulture Office at Khillani. He asked the Tourism officers to immediately shift the furniture and other furnishing items to the safer places so that the restoration work of the Tourist Reception Centre at Bhaderwah could be started.
Regarding establishment of Fruit and Vegetable mandies in Doda, the DDC informed that the 20-kanal land has been acquired at Paryoot for this purpose and Rs. 54.30 lakh have been disbursed as compensation among the land owners.
For establishment of mandi at Bhaderwah town, he informed that 20 kanal land has also been acquired at Chakka village. He asked the DDC to immediately complete the land acquisition process so that the mandi could be established.