Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Dec 9: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has personally intervened to expedite Udhampur Devika River Project, for which, following his persistent effort, Rs.170.54 crore was sanctioned in February this year by the Government of India under National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) but, due to procedural delays, there has been a very little progress.
Soon after the conclusion of the first phase of Gujarat election in Surat, where he had been preoccupied as BJP “Sah-Prabhari”, Dr Jitendra Singh today got in touch with the State authorities as well as Udhampur district administration to clear the bottlenecks causing the delay.
He discussed the issue with Chief Secretary B.B. Vyas, Commissioner Secretary Housing & Urban Development Hridesh Kumar Singh as well as Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Ravindra Kumar.
Dr Jitendra Singh has issued directions for finalization of the DPR at the earliest so that the work can be started without delay. He said, even if the over -all budget and expenditure exceeds for full completion of the project, in the initial stage the DPR and the execution should be undertaken with the funds already sanctioned by the Government of India.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, Devika river cleaning is one of the highest priorities for him and it was after considerable effort and exercise that it could be included in the National River Conservation Plan, for which he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Devika river cleaning is not only an issue related to pollution and environment, but also a matter of faith. The people of Udhampur had been demanding it for several years before the earlier governments as well, he added.
Pertinent to mention that under the National River Conservation Plan, the major works undertaken in the Devika project would include capturing and eliminating of raw sewage flow into the river and diverting them for treatment, setting up of sewage treatment plants for treating the diverted sewage, building low-cost sanitation toilets to prevent open defecation on river banks and setting up of improved crematoria to conserve the use of wood and help in ensuring proper cremation of human bodies brought to the burning ghats. In addition, the riverfront development works are also envisaged to be undertaken to improve the bathing ghats.
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament from Ladakh, Thupstan Chewang called on Dr Jitendra Singh and sought his intervention with the Union Ministry of AYUSH and NITI Aayog to seek the establishment of National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa (NISR) based on Tibeten Medicine at Leh.
Thupstan briefed Dr Jitendra Singh about the Centre dealing with Tibetan Medicine which already exists in Leh and said that the same could be upgraded to include academic and training facilities as well for the students, so as to enable it to emerge as the first institute of its kind in the country.
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