1. Home
2. Top Stories

Mufti announces setting up of Chenab Valley Development Fund

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 7/5/2015 5:12:33 PM

DODA/KISHTWAR, Jul 4: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed today announced setting up of Chenab Valley Development Fund (CVDF) to channelize investments towards environment protection, soil conservation, social uplift and employment generation in the hilly region.
“The resources for Chenab Valley Development Fund would be mobilized by various means with 2 percent to be chipped in by the hydroelectric companies operating in the region. Besides, there will be the contribution of the state government as well,” Mufti said while speaking at the District Development Board meetings of Doda and Kishtwar districts here today.
Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Kumar Singh, Minister for Forests & Social Welfare, Bali Bhagat who is also the chairman of DDB Kishtwar and Minister for Animal Husbandry and Science and Technology, Sajjad Gani Lone, who is chairman DDB Doda also addressed the meeting.
Minister for Finance & Culture, Dr Haseeb A Drabu, Minister of State for PWD & Revenue, Sunil Kumar Sharma, legislators G M Saroori, Shakti Raj Parihar, Daleep Singh Parihar, Neelam Langeh, Naresh Gupta, Sham Lal Bhagat, Sajjad Kichloo and Firdous Ahmed Tak also attended the meeting.
The meeting was informed that the plan allocation for Doda for the fiscal 2014-15 was Rs 87.06 Cr, including Rs 39.20 Cr revenue component. For the current fiscal, the Chief Minister announced an allocation of Rs 156.11 Cr, all of it being capital component. It marked an increase of 179 percent over the last year’s plan.
Similarly for Kishtwar the allocation for the fiscal 2014-15 was Rs 69.86 Cr which included revenue component of Rs 26.30 Cr. For the current fiscal, the Chief Minister announced an allocation of Rs 115.35 Crfor the district which is a full capital component.
Mufti also announced setting up of Skill Development Institute of international standards in Chenab Valley area to make available qualified manpower for the power projects as presently most of the skilled manpower for these projects was drawn from outside the state. He said the DPR for the Skill Development Institute should be prepared with 10 days so that the work could be started on the project within one month. He said these measures would go a long way in providing succor to the people of the region, especially the youth.
Calling for expansion and upgradation of the educational facilities and infrastructure in the area, the Chief Minister announced a committee headed by Chairman DDB Doda with Jammu University Rector incharge Bhaderwah campus and Deputy Commissioner Doda as its members to identify the land for setting of Jammu University campus at Doda.
“Our government is committed to the development of the Chenab region as the area has very peculiar problems which need to be addressed in a focused manner,” he said and called for relaxation of norms for various centrally sponsored developmental schemes keeping in mind the topography and the difficult terrain of the region.
The Chief Minister also stressed the need for improving and upgrading the road connectivity in the Chenab Valley region. He issued on the spot instruction for expediting work on important roads under NABARD and CRF. He said till Batote-Doda road was taken over by the National Highway Corporation, PWD would maintain the road given its importance.
To improve connectivity in the area, R&B department was asked to prioritize PMGSY roads which had been left midway due to the cost escalation. Mufti said the government would try to finance the roads prioritized by the R&B department so that they were completed within the shortest possible time.
Mufti laid stress on development of tourist infrastructure in the area to attract the tourists particularly those visiting Himachal Pradesh. He asked the Tourism Department to develop world class tourism infrastructure on Chamba-Bhaderwah road so that tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh could also visit Chenab Valley region. He announced immediate release of Rs 40 lakh for development of Bhaderwah-Bhalessa-Jai tourist circuit.
He said the Tourism Department would also create infrastructure at Tatta Paani in Marwah area of Kishtwar.
The Chief Minister said given the huge potential of medicinal and aromatic plants in the area an appropriate site would be identified in the region at the earliest for establishment of National Institute of Medicinal Plants. Besides, he said one Rajmash and one Zeera village would be developed in Kishtwar.
Chief Minister asked the administration to take into the account the assessment, aspirations and expectations of the legislators into consideration while framing the developmental plans. “I have decided to chair all the DDB meetings personally to ensure better rapport between legislators and officers on the ground,” he said.
Responding to the issues raised by the legislators, the Chief Minister asked the Divisional Commissioner Jammu to sort out the issues of physical jurisdiction and administrative control in the area.
Speaking at the meetings Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh and Minister for Forests Bali Bhagat, commended the resolve of the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in putting the state on the path of development and prosperity. They said that Chief Minister’s seriousness on the developmental front could be gauged from the fact that he had been personally attending all the DDB meetings.
Speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu termed the DDBs as a critical and key institution which needed to be strengthened to take the development to the grassroots level.
The meeting was informed that Chairman DDB Doda, Sajjad Gani Lone would adopt Boys Higher Secondary School Doda while MLA Doda would adopt Girls Higher Secondary School Doda, MLA Bhaderwah Higher Secondary School Boys Bhaderwah and MLA Kishtwar would adopt Boys Higher Secondary School Kishtwar and all these schools would be developed as Model Schools.
Principal Secretary Planning, B R Sharma, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, B B Vyas, Principal Secretary PDD, Sundeep Nayak, Commissioner Secretary Education, Shaleen Kabra, Secretary PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Parvaiz Ahmad Malik, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Secretary to Chief Minister, M H Malik, administrative secretaries of H&UDD, Health, Heads of Departments and other senior officers also attended the meeting.
Earlier, DC Doda and DC Kishtwar gave a detailed presentation of the physical and financial performance in various sectors in the district.
Among the important decisions for district Doda, Rs 50 lakh sanctioned for restoration of Solid Waste Manage Plant Doda which was damaged due to floods, Rs 50 lakh sanctioned for completion of 4 High School buildings in Inderwal constituency, Rs 22 lakh for TRC Doda, Pul Doda-Doda road would be taken up under CRF, High School Bulandpur (Ramban) would be upgraded to the level of Higher Secondary School, possibility of Lift Irrigation Scheme Jodhpur (Doda) would be examined, Trauma Centre Khellani would be inaugurated within 2 months, Irrigation department would pursue case of Kandi Canal work, Fire Station was approved at Gundoh (Bhaderwah), Bhatyas road would be taken up under CRF and DPR would be prepared for road upto Bulandpur under PMGSY.
For Kishtwar district, PWD would prepare feasibility report for Dachhan-Marwah Road, Public Park would be developed at Harghodhi, Kishtwar and foot-bridge would be constructed at Sikhdi Inderwal.