Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, July 6: Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture Raman Bhalla today said that a detailed project report of Rs. 4.95 crore has been prepared for preservation of the historical Samba Fort which was constructed by Maharaja Suchet Singh in 1822 and develop it as a prominent place of tourist attraction. This was informed by the Minister while interacting with the people after inspecting the renovation work of the Samba heritage fort, here today. District Development Commissioner R K Varma, Director Horticulture Anil Kumar Sharma, Joint Director Tourism Shiv Kumar Gupta, Consultant Tourism and Culture K A Qadri, Assistant Commissioner Revenue Ashwani Kumar Khajuria besides other senior officers of Tourism, PHE, Horticulture and Culture accompanied the Minister. Mr. Bhalla informed that the conservation project envisages restoration of rampart , view points, restoration of water tank, royal residence besides up-gradation of pathways, landscaping and installation of spotlights in and outside of the fort. The Minister asked Tourism Department to immediately start landscaping and illumination works of fort after completing tendering formalities. He further informed that Government has allocated Rs. 20 lakh for this purpose. He directed the executing agency to use quality material on restoration work, adding that there should be no compromise in this regard . He asked the Tourism Department to lay flower beds and do landscaping on the open spaces within the historical fort. Mr. Bhalla informed that Government has earmarked corpus fund of Rs. 50 crore for meeting the expenditure on conservation and preservation of rich heritage assets of the State, against which Rs. 2 crore have already been released. Mr. Bhalla said that the Government is striving hard to showcase J&K’s rich and diverse heritage and cater to multifarious interests of visitors coming to the State. He said measures are afoot to bring all heritage sites on tourism map of Jammu and Kashmir. He said fillip in State’s tourism economy is embedded in linking it with cultural distinctiveness of the state to attract tourists Later, the Minister also visited village Mange Chack of Samba district and inspected the orchards and nurseries developed by the locals under the guideline of Horticulture Department. Earlier, at Sanjay Nagar Sector-4, Mr. Bhalla laid foundation stone for upgradation of lanes and drains for which Government has earmarked Rs. 4.50 lakh.
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