80 Kanals land identified opp Jambu Zoo
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, June 25: The Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL) has announced a pioneering “Waste-to-Wonder” Project in Jammu district, with a budget of Rs 12.56 crores.
Under this project, the replicas of the “7 Wonders of the World” and other iconic monuments of the country and Jammu and Kashmir region would be constructed using construction and demolition (C&D) waste.
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The project will feature replicas of the Eiffel Tower (France), Colosseum (Italy), White House (USA), Great Sphinx of Giza (Egypt), Angkor Wat Temple (Cambodia), Todai-ji Monastery (Japan), and Taktsang Monastery (Bhutan) on a 3.75-hectare (approximately 80 Kanals) forest land opposite Jambu Zoo.
Additionally, the site, formerly designated for a JMC abattoir in Khanpur Village, will include replicas of the Statue of Unity (Gujarat), Taj Mahal (Uttar Pradesh), Konark Sun Temple (Odisha), Kedarnath Temple (Uttarakhand), Railway Bridge of Reasi, Akhnoor Fort (Jammu), and Krimachi Group of Temples (Udhampur).
Sunil Thusu, Project Director of Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL), highlighted that this first-of-its-kind project in Jammu and Kashmir will utilize tonnes of construction and demolition waste, such as steel, rubber, wood, tyres, glass bottles, and other unused materials.
The waste will be sourced from various places, including domestic waste collected by the JMC, dumping sites’ waste, and the departmental waste.
Funded through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the Government will cover approximately Rs 8-9 crores of the cost of the project, with the remaining amount to be borne by the vendor responsible for creating the replicas.
“Profits from the sale of the tickets for visiting the facility will be shared equally by the Government and the vendor,” Thusu said.
According to him, the vendor will handle the design and construction of the project, while the State Government’s role is to identify, acquire and hand over the land.
“The process of acquiring the additional land besides the available one near Jambu Zoo has already begun,” Sunil Thusu, Project Director of the JSCL said.
To address environmental concerns, he said, the JSCL planned to conduct afforestation on alternative barren land to compensate for any deforestation required for the project.
“This initiative ensures that the project adheres to environmental standards while transforming waste materials into a unique tourist attraction,” he added.
Thusu noted that only a few States in India have similar projects, including Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
He emphasized that the Jammu Smart City Limited aims to create a sustainable and innovative model for waste management and tourism through this endeavor.
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