Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 27: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today toured several parts of the city to take first-hand appraisal of various restoration and ongoing projects.
During the tour, the Chief Minister visited the new Public Service Commission (PSC) Complex, Old Legislative Complex, new SPS Library, Old Zero Bridge, Botanical Garden and Sher-e- Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) at Shalimar here, a spokesman said.
At the new PSC Complex, Chairman of PSC Lateef-uz-Zaman Deva brought to his notice the urgent need for an examination centre within the premises of the complex.
The Chief Minister agreed in principle to the proposal for constructing ground and first floor in Phase I for which Deputy Commissioner Srinagar was assigned the task to make land appurtenant to the PSC complex available.
He said the an in-house examination centre, with a seating capacity of 2,500, will facilitate conduct of competitive examinations and reduce dependence on other educational institutions.
Among a slew of measures to facilitate the prospective aspirants is the ‘One Time Registration’ (OTR), which will generate sms alerts to the candidates for posts which are commensurate with his or her qualification, the spokesman said.
He said Sayeed also visited the Old Legislature Complex, which is being restored with expertise from Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Kashmir Chapter.
Sayeed went around the premises and was particularly enthralled by the old paper-machie work on the ceilings of the historic complex.
Comparing the Old Legislature Complex with Westminster Abbey, London, the Chief Minister stressed upon restoring its past glory.
The complex presently houses several offices including State Human Rights Commission, State Vigilance Commission, State Accountability Commission and the State Information Commission.
During his inspection of the Old Zero Bridge on Jhelum river, Sayeed said the structure should be restored by keeping its heritage value intact.
He also examined the model of food court at Botanical Garden to be installed on Zero Bridge to make it a heritage destination point for visitors, the spokesman said.
Comparing the Old Legislature Complex to Westminster Abbey, London, the Chief Minister stressed upon restoring its past glory. The complex presently houses several offices including State Human Rights Commission, State Vigilance Commission, State Accountability Commission and the State Information Commission.
Chief Vigilance Commissioner, SVC, Kuldeep Khoda, Director Estates, G. N. Itoo and Secretary LC were also present on the occasion.
Later, the Chief Minister visited new SPS Library Complex, where he issued directions for improving the quality of furniture in the library halls. He also issued instructions for landscaping the lawns and constructing a boundary wall around the premises.
MD JKPCC, Dalip Thusu, informed the Chief Minister that two floors of the complex have been handed over to the Libraries Department, while work on the remaining structure will be completed by August, next year.
The original project cost of Rs.17.34 crore has escalated to Rs.30 crore, out of which Rs.17 crore have been released to the executing agency so far.
Director, Libraries, Mukhtar-ul-Aziz was also present on the occasion.
Asking JKPCC to fast-track work on old zero bridge, Mufti Sayeed desired that the structure be restored by keeping its heritage value intact. He also examined the model of food court at Botanical Garden to be installed on Zero Bridge to make it a heritage destination point for visitors.
The Chief Minister and the Minister for Finance & Culture stressed upon embellishing the wooden structure by integrating the glass and papier machie elements as well.
He also asked I&FC department to explore possibility of expanding Jhelum Park by including a patch of 5 kanal and 4 marlas of land situated adjacent to it.
The Chief Minister later visited at SKUAST-K, where he asked the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Nazir Ahmad, to create extension linkages with the farming community so that they benefit from the research and experiments carried out by the university scientists.
Minister for Horticulture, Haj & Auqaf, A. R. Veeri and Minister for Agriculture Production, G. N. Lone were also present on the occasion.
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