*Artificial Tawi lake project shelved due to non-feasibility
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 15: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said today that formation of coalition Government between PDP and BJP in Jammu and Kashmir showcased statesmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also described Modi’s visit to China as “step in the right direction’’.
In his first inter-action with media here during two and half months tenure as the Chief Minister, Mufti virtually ruled out sanction of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for Jammu, a demand for which most of the political parties and organisations including the BJP had been agitating, but announced that his Government would upgrade Super Specialty Hospital (SSH) and strengthen the District Hospitals. He announced that the Government has decided to shelve artificial lake project over river Tawi as it was not feasible.
Speaking in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, Works Minister Syed Altaf Bukhari and Minister of State for Information, Culture and Education Priya Sethi, Mufti Sayeed declared that the PDP-BJP alliance was not “string of loose thread’’ but based on ensuring good governance and transparency in the system, corruption free administration, strengthening institutions like State Accountability Commission, Vigilance Commission, Civic Bodies, Panchayats and complete delegation of powers.
Principal Secretary to Chief Minister BB Vyas and Director Information Muneer-ul-Islam were also present at the media inter-action.
Heaping praises on Narendra Modi, Mufti Sayeed said the coalition between PDP and BJP in the State showcased the statesmanship of the Prime Minister who wants to carry people along not by “bullet” but by “ballot” and will of the people.
“When I was talking about meeting of North Pole and South Pole…I was right. It is historic. I see it as an opportunity. Had I formed the Government on my own I would not have seen such an opportunity. The coalition that took place between PDP and BJP shows the statesmanship of Modi. He wants to carry people along not by bullet but by ballot and will of the people,” he said.
Asserting that Modi must have had a bigger picture in mind when he joined hands with PDP, the Mufti observed: “there must be a purpose. He may have seen it on a bigger canvas. I say when you have some vision, when you work on bigger canvas, there is a bigger objective. I feel so. This is itself an indication.”
On Indo-Pak ties, he said: “ there is no option other than peace process. There are some hiccups in between. …Ultimately, the goal is — peace process will continue and our relations with our neighbour will improve and we will try for that. I think we have to go together. If India has to emerge as a great country, it has to be friendly to his neighbours particularly Pakistan’’.
Batting strongly for strengthening of cross-border trade and travel between J&K and PoK, he said: “I get requests from people across the border that they want to stay here on extended permits of 15 days. My effort will be to strengthen CBMs (confidence building measures). As of now only relatives of the cross-border families come to this side”, he said.
“Those who want to engage in trade should do it when the situation is good with better facilities. And, those who want to travel between the two sides should be provided better facilities in this regard. There should also be more banking facilities,” he said, adding he had seen the people coming from PoK with smiles on their faces and returning with tears in their eyes. The people want extended stay. The cross-LoC travel shouldn’t be confined to divided families only but extended to students, others.
Replying to a question regarding sending a delegation of journalists to Pakistan in connection with peace process, Sayeed quipped: “when Track-II diplomacy begins, we will see to that. There is a bit of problem in it as of now”.
To another question, Mufti said Parliament and Kargil attacks took place during the tenure of Atal Behari Vajpayee. “Vajpayee had said you can change friends not neighbours. We have to go together. Bharat has now emerged a great country’’.
On the Government’s new ‘contractual’ recruitment policy, he said, “This recruitment policy for which we are facing huge criticism, was meant to fill the vacancies of nurses, paramedics and others in health sector. We are soon going to put the policy in place.”
Asked about his term as Chief Minister, he said “We will complete three months on June 1. I do not want go into the details of the formation of this Government… The decision we have taken was a conscious one.”
“It is a strong union. We have formed the Government based on an agenda with focus on development, good governance and transparency. We want to give a corruption-free Government and strengthen the institutions in the State,” Mufti Sayeed said.
He described the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China as a step in right direction to create environment for investment in the region.
“It (PM’s visit to China) is a step in right direction to create environment for investment in the region,” Mufti said.
He was replying to a question about whether the PM’s visit would bear fruit in terms of Sino-Indian relations in wake of the border disputes including in J&K and other issues.
“Prime Minister’s focus has been to bring India closer to its neighbours. When he during the swearing in ceremony invited the heads of the SAARC countries, it was never a convention but a step towards it,” he said.
“He (PM) is focusing on good relations with China. He visited Japan, Sri Lanka, Canada, Nepal. There is definitely an atmospheric change”, Mufti said.
The Chief Minister further said the trade value between India and China would be more than with America.
“There is compatibility between the two. That is a step in right direction. China has a policy, we have a policy and Pakistan too has a policy,” he added.
Replying to a question on the popular demand for setting up of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Jammu, Mufti observed that he treats entire Jammu and Kashmir as one entity and it doesn’t matter where the Medical Institute was set up.
“There is half an hour flight to Srinagar from Jammu. When the National Highway widening is completed, it will hardly take four hours to reach Srinagar from Jammu,’’ he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, however, said they were in touch with Centre over the issue of setting up of an AIIMS in Jammu.
Mufti said: “I see Jammu and Kashmir as one entity. It is in our agenda for alliance that Kashmir will be given an AIIMS and Jammu will get IIT and IIM. We will give money for existing Super Specialty Hospital (SSH) in Jammu to strengthen it.”
Virtually ruling out the demand for setting up of an AIIMS in Jammu for which various political parties and organisations have been agitating and had even observed one day bandh, Mufti said: “whatever we have done… we have done with the broad mind, if we have given AIIMS to Kashmir, Kashmir is part of the Jammu and Kashmir. I do not see Jammu and Kashmir with different yardsticks.”
Hitting out at Congress for not setting up AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir during last 12 years of their rule, Mufti asked, “Why they are raking this issue now?”.
Dr Nirmal Singh said: “as for as AIIMS is concerned, what CM has said on the issue, I want to put forth my point of view. We have met Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) in this regard. We will meet Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and also Union Health Minister JP Nadda to press for better medicare facility for Jammu at the level of AIIMS.”
“We are holding talks with them (the Central Government)…To what extent they are going to agree on the issue, we will see. We have demanded AIIMS-like facility for Jammu and what could be name of the facility, I cannot tell you at this time,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister further said, “This issue is before our party and our Government. We have met with the Central leaders on the issue along with the group of State Ministers including Haseeb Drabu and Abdul Haq Khan. We are very confident that such an institution will be granted to Jammu and will come up here with such a facility”.
As for as IIT is concerned, Mufti said, “We feel the best location available for setting up this IIT is Samba, which now has hardly 20 minutes run from Jammu’’.
The Chief Minister also said that artificial lake project in Jammu over river Tawi was not feasible.
“As for as lake project is concerned, I will tell you, economically and technically, it is not feasible”, he said.
Mufti said: “water flow is not like that of Chenab or Ravi rivers. It will take one year to fill and that is not feasible but you can undertake landscaping of the river banks.”
“We will undertake landscaping of banks of river Tawi and make it attractive. People will go there and sit in the gardens that we proposed to set up,” he further added.
Keeping with popular demand, the previous National Conference-Congress Government had conceived the Rs 75 crore project on river Tawi. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had laid the foundation stone for the project on December 6, 2009.
On March 19, Agriculture Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone on the behalf of the Chief Minister had told the Legislative Council on a question about the development of the artificial lake that the project with an estimated cost of Rs 69.70 cr has been taken up by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department during 2010-11.
“An amount of Rs 57 cr has been released and spent till date, against which 85 per cent of civil works and 80 per cent of mechanical works have been completed,” he had said.
On the BJP-PDP Government, Mufti said there should be “complete delegation of powers” on all such institutions.
On bad condition of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, he said: “this (highway) is in bad shape. We had sent a team led by Deputy Chief Minister and held discussions with Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Director General, Border Roads Organization (BRO) for measures to repair it for trouble free journey for tourists and pilgrims of holy Amarnath ji cave shrine.
“We have tourism season and Amarnath Yatra to commence and this period will also coincide with rainy season which is not good for us. Our main focus will be to maintain traffic on the highway without its closure,” he said.
“Until the work on the national highway is completed, the traffic on the highway cannot be stopped at all. We will take measures for that. There are traffic problems as well faced by the people and these are because of the internal roads. I have directed DG Police to ensure better traffic management and they have also taken a lead to re-arrange the traffic in Srinagar,” Mufti said.
In Jammu, we will ensure completion of the flyovers which have been delayed, he said, adding “we are exploring possibilities of double shifts to complete it.”
Regarding the bad condition of Doda road, he said: “in view of Baglihar dam, roads leading to Doda, Kishtwar and peripheral areas are sinking. I have given them Rs 12 crore to ensure repairs of that road on urgent basis. This road is not the option to connect Doda with Jammu because it is going to face a major problem with regard to erosion and sinking in future.
“For this, we have formulated a project to connect Doda and Kishtwar through a tunnel via Sudh Mahadev in Udhampur district and we are working on it so that it will be an all-weather road,” he added.
On the issue of tourism, Mufti said, “I have seen Ranjit Sagar Dam when I visited Basohli (in Kathua). I do not understand why we cannot develop leisure tourism there. Punjab is very close and famous tourist resort Dalhousie is just one-hour journey from here. It will be a prime tourist destination for the people of Jammu and the State.
“We will give priority to a double-lane road to connect the dam. Essel World people had come and they had given a presentation with regard to a tourism project there,” he said, adding the Government wants to make Jammu an independent tourist destination in the State and for this, Ranjit Sagar Dam would be a priority.
Focusing on heritage tourism, he said, “Mubarak Mandi (heritage palace of the then Dogra King) is one of the best heritage spots for the people of the State.”
Asserting that work on the cable car project will begin, Mufti said, “The company, which has set up Gulmarg Cable Car project, will be put on the job to construct this ropeway project from Mubarak Mandi to Bahu Fort.”
On the issue of parking, Mufti said, “We are setting up a Rs 30 crore multi-storey parking facility in Jammu at Panjtirthi which will house 400 vehicles at a time. We are laying focus on Golf Course in Sidhra in Jammu and it will be upgraded to 18-hole “.
On the issue of expansion of Jammu airport, he said, “We are taking up the issue with the Defence Minister during his visit to Srinagar for shifting of Military hospital to some other location, so that the land made available is utilized for expansion of the airport.”
“The Government has already put forward the proposal to the Army that they will get double the land for setting up the hospital somewhere else. They have 50 acres of land, we will give them 100 acres but they should vacate,” he said, adding “It will be a big gesture for the people of Jammu.”
Mufti said for the people of Chenab valley based in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban, “We will be setting up a technical institute to train youth for technical jobs and utilise their services in power projects on this regard.”
Keeping in view the huge potential of Chenab Valley region in hydel power generation, the Chief Minister said the Government is considering a proposal for setting up a Technical Institute for local youth which will provide them training in basic skills so that they are employed in various power projects.
Mufti Sayeed also thanked Central Government for releasing Rs.158 crore for Keerian-Gandial pre-stressed double lane bridge in Kathua district. He said he has fixed timeline of three years for Public Works Department to complete the project so that people are provided connectivity in remote areas adding that the work on Bikram Chowk-Presentation Convent Flyover in Jammu, being executed by ERA, will also be expedited.
The Chief Minister said he has allocated Rs. 50 crores for macadamization of roads in Jammu. “In addition, 8 CRF Projects envisaging cost of Rs. 190 crore, are being taken up shortly in Jammu Division which include Samba-Mansar, Jathana Bridge-Kathua and Hatli Roads” he added.
Emphasizing upon the significance of improving road connectivity to Basohli for promotion of Ranjit Sagar Dam, the Chief Minister spoke at length over various initiatives being taken to project Jammu as an independent tourist destination.
“It is unfortunate that we have not been able to tap the huge tourism potential of Ranjit Sagar Dam so far. It is ideally located with Dalhousie, in Himachal Pradesh, on one side and the great expanse of the lake on the other,” he said while referring to his visit to Palahi yesterday to take firsthand view of the Ranjit Sagar Dam.
The Chief Minister said the Government has already taken up development of Mantalai as an International Yoga Centre under the new Government of India scheme of Swadesh Darshan. “Jammu has several destinations like Patnitop, Sanasar and Baglihar which will receive focused attention of the Government,” the Chief Minister asserted.
On installation of quality Ropeway at Jammu, the Chief Minister said the technology used in Gulmarg Gandola Project will be replicated. He said the land acquisition will be expedited so that the work on the project is started in right earnest.
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