No major step to tap available tourism potential
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 5: Due to sluggishness on the part of administration and lack of coordination between the concerned authorities there is no noticeable action on several decisions pertaining to expediting developmental works, tapping available tourism potential and making available basic amenities taken by the District Development Board of Reasi over one year back.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Reasi District Development Board in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Minister for Cooperatives and Ladakh Affairs Chering Dorjay on March 15, 2017 had issued direction to the executing agencies and administration for conducting joint inspection of all the under-execution PMGSY roads in the district so as to remove bottlenecks and pave the way for gearing up of work.
This direction was issued as all the legislators from the district had voiced serious concern over dilly-dallying approach of the executing agencies. “Though verbal instructions were issued to the executing agencies for gearing up the work yet joint inspection of all the ongoing roads has not been conducted till date as such the concern of the legislators as well as District Development Board has remained unaddressed”, sources said.
Similarly, while considering the concern of the legislators the District Development Board had laid stress on initiating steps on urgent basis to ensure proper drinking water facility to all the left over villages in the district. “Only few villages have been covered but large number of areas are still crying for safe drinking water facility”, sources informed.
“Similar is the fate of direction vis-à-vis preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for new model villages in the district”, they said while disclosing that all the concerned authorities have maintained non-serious approach on this direction till date. “Even no serious discussion between district administration and Rural Development Department has taken place on this issue”, they further said.
Keeping in view immense tourism potential in the district, the District Development Board had asked for initiating necessary steps so that tourism related activities could be geared up in the district. “The adventure tourism potential has been tapped only in respect of River Chenab while as other spots have yet not received the due attention”, sources said.
“There is absolutely no focus on bringing virgin tourist spots on the tourism map by creating necessary infrastructure”, they said while pointing towards Konsarnag Yatra route and Dagan Top, which have immense potential to attract tourists. “Not only in the District Development Board meeting the demand of creating tourism related infrastructure in these and other virgin tourist spots was raised by the legislators in the Legislative Assembly also a number of times but concerned authorities have yet not shown any seriousness”, sources further said.
The intensity of administrative inertia can further be gauged from the fact that even minor issue of land transfer has not been resolved during the past one year. The DDB had directed for transfer of land available with Sheep Husbandry Department near Deputy Commissioner’s office complex for extension of existing court complex and other allied developmental activities.
“The land has not been transferred for extension of court complex despite the fact that DDB had asked for making available equal quantum of State land to the Sheep Husbandry Department at any other place”, sources said.
The other issues which have not received scant attention of all the concerned authorities included Surjandhar-Sari road link for providing connectivity to remotest habitations, separate PHE and Irrigation sub-divisions for Reasi, establishment of boys hostels and raising local mandis for farmers etc.
“What is the fun of holding DDB meetings if its directions and issues raised by the legislators are not to be addressed by the concerned authorities?”, sources asked, adding “it is a matter of concern that while DDB meeting for finalization of Capex Budget for 2018-19 financial year is all set to be convened, the decisions of last DDB meeting are still pending for action”.
Follow our WhatsApp channel