Inter Modal Station coming up at Katra
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 15: The Administrative Council (AC) which met here under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, approved the proposal of Revenue Department to transfer various parcels of land for public purposes.
Farooq Khan and Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisors to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K and Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor attended the meeting.
The Administrative Council approved the transfer of land measuring 15 Kanal at village Majeen, Tehsil & District Jammu to Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) on lease for 40 years. The Board will be constructing a Yatri Niwas and a Disaster Management Centre for better management of the yatra aimed at boosting religious tourism in the Union territory.
The construction of these facilities will enhance the number of pilgrims visiting the holy cave and subsequently generate substantial indirect employment. It will also ensure compliance to the orders of the Supreme Court of India and the National Green Tribunal.
Further, approval was given to the transfer of state land measuring 38 Kanal and 19 Marla at village Chak Jawala Tehsil Vijaypur, Samba to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, for establishing the Composite Regional Centre (CRC) for Skill Development, Rehabilitation and Employment of persons with disability (DivyangJan) in Jammu District.
Once functional, the Center will provide multitude of services to the Persons with Disabilities in the field of education, employment, vocational training, research and manpower development, rehabilitation of Divyangs, and distribution of assistive aids through a team of experts, besides working on the principle of trans-disciplinary approach.
The Administrative Council further approved the transfer of land measuring 10 Kanal 11 Marla in favour of Health & Medical Education Department for establishing a 50-bedded integrated AYUSH Hospital in district Budgam. Establishment of the AYUSH Hospital will promote the Indian System of Medicine (ISM) in the region, provide health care facilities and strengthen the healthcare infrastructure in the area. The ISM focuses both on preventive medicine as well as the medical treatments for various ailments to promote overall health and fitness.
Moreover, a parcel of land measuring 28 Kanal at village Donipawa, Tehsil & District Anantnag was transferred to the School Education Department for establishing a Kendriya Vidyalaya. Opening of the school will provide education avenues to the children and will enhance the standard of education in the area.
Another parcel of land measuring 8 Kanal situated in village Ichgam, Tehsil & District Budgam was transferred to the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj for constructing the Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI); to provide skill development trainings to the youth and boost employment generation. The RSETI provides opportunities of learning diverse skill sets in multitude of trades including courses in driving, IT, plumbing, electrical, masonry, among others.
The Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department was also given 6 Kanal land for constructing office accommodation for the District Development Council, Baramulla.
The Administrative Council also sanctioned transfer of 1 Kanal of land at Langate to the Finance Department for construction of a Treasury building.
Meanwhile, the Administrative Council (AC) also approved the proposal of the Housing and Urban Development Department to sign a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Ministry of Railways (MoR), and Government of Jammu and Kashmir (GoJK) for co-development of Inter-Modal Station (IMS) at Katra through Katra Development Authority (KDA).
The approved IMS will be developed as a terminal infrastructure integrating various transportation modes of rail, road, air (helipad), bus, auto rickshaws, taxis and private vehicles at a single hub for seamless movement of people from one mode to another. The project will be completed in three years.
The Inter-Modal Station at Katra will be developed in two phases. The public zone and subsequently commercial infrastructures will be developed under phase I and II, respectively.
The decision is aimed at minimizing the transit time and cost for commuters and potentially extend the duration of their stay in Jammu and Kashmir.
Development of the IMS at Katra will also boost commercial development and economic activity which will significantly upscale the socio-economic profile of Katra and its adjoining areas.
For development of the infrastructure, a tripartite MoU will be signed which will regulate funding and promote coordination between various agencies for time bound execution of the project. The Chief Executive Officer, Katra Development Authority was authorized as the signatory on behalf of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.