On spot decisions taken in ‘public darbar’
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 29: Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh today said the Ramban district didn’t receive the attention it deserved before 2014 but now it got lot of focus with construction of highway, tunnel, bridges and various other developmental works.
Speaking to newspersons after a ‘public darbar’ at Ramban, Dr Jitendra Singh said now the people can reach Ramban in two hours while earlier it used to take a day to reach the town, located on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
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“Ramban was always in news for road blockades and massive traffic jams earlier. Now, it is known for National Highway, Asia’s longest tunnel, various new bridges and other roads,’’ the Union Minister said.
He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ramban district has become part of fast track development across the country.
Asserting that the ‘public darbars’ have been turning out very useful in addressing issues faced by the people, Dr Jitendra Singh said they will be taken right up to the block level. A programme ‘Parshasan Gaon Ki Aur’ has also been started to help solve people’s problems, he added. Click here to watch video
Earlier, Dr Jitendra Singh held a “public darbar” here and directly interacted with groups and delegations of public, in the presence of senior Central Government officers including those from NHAI and UT Government officers led by the Deputy Commissioner.
This was Dr Jitendra Singh’s second such public darbar at Ramban in recent months.
Several on the spot decisions were taken. Dr Jitendra Singh gave a patient listening and for each matter, issued immediate instructions to the officers of the concerned department.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Government has taken several path breaking measures in the last decade to scale up infrastructure development in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Minister said, during the period, the steps taken were two-pronged. The first and foremost was to overcome the deprivations of the past as well as resume the stalled projects, and latter to initiate ambitious projects to boost connectivity in the district.
He stated that Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee Tunnel connecting Ramban with Udhampur is one such example of boosting connectivity in the region. He said the area is also now replete with a string of other tunnels enhancing ease of travel for commuters. Highlighting the significance of landmark Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee Tunnel, he said it will become a source of inspiration for next generations, reminding them about the life and struggles of Dr Mukherjee who was taken through this route to Kashmir and killed.
The Union Minister said that the Government is focussed on bringing state-of-the-art facilities to rural areas of the country under the auspices of Prashasan Gaon Ki Aur programme, and improving grievance redressal mechanism besides ushering in more transparency in governance.
Highlighting the role of public representatives in governance, he said members of the PRIs have been instrumental in reaching services to the grassroots and alleviating public sufferings. He said together with the district administration, these representatives have formed an essential part of the team to serve common citizens in the last 10 years. Dr Jitendra Singh expressed the hope that the team will get strengthened with the participation of newly elected MLAs to better serve the people and improve their living standards matching the constituents of the national mainstream.
The Union Minister chaired a public darbar alongside the officials of the district administration, during which he listened to the issues of several delegations. On the occasion, a host of public grievances were redressed and matters of public importance were disposed of on the spot.
Dr Jitendra Singh urged the administration to address public issues on priority for their expeditious resolution.
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