Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has said the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch are in the developmental focus of the present Government as the aim is to take developmental benefits to the last person among the underdeveloped, underprivileged sections and areas of the State.
Addressing a largely attended public meeting here today after laying the foundation stone of Kotranka-Khwas road here today, the Chief Minister said Rajouri being the Central point of this region, many big developmental achievements were registered in the district earlier and many more path breaking initiatives are slated for future.
Mehbooba Mufti said the upcoming tunnel on Mughal road, once completed, would not only give the region improved access to rest of the State, it would also give a big boost to the tourism in the area as well. She said tourism holds a good promise for the entire region and once the connectivity is improved, it would give the region’s economy a turnaround besides tiding over the problem of unemployment in the region.
Responding to the local demands, the Chief Minister announced the upgradation of local Community Health Centre to a Maternity and Childcare Centre. She said already Rs. Two crore have been released for the upgradation of the Centre. She said once the Government decides on opening of new colleges, the demand and desirability of the local area would be given priority. She also directed pacing up of work on Degree College Budhal. She directed raising of wayside facilities on the Kotranka-Khwas road for the convenience of visitors. Besides, she said the upgradation of Budhal-Shopian road would also be looked into.
A long pending demand of the area, the 30 Kilometre long Kotranka-Khwas road would be built at a cost of Rs. 76 crore, benefitting some 50, 000 souls and it would be completed within three years.
Deputy Chief Minister in his address said the present Government represents the aspirations of poor and underprivileged sections in the far flung areas of the State. He said there is sufficient availability of funds from the Centre and the Government in the coming years would change the developmental profile of the State. He appealed people to participate in the coming Panchayat elections to empower themselves and their areas.
Ministers, Choudhary Zulfkar, Abdul Gani Kohli and Naeem Akhtar also addressed the public meeting.
Minister for Education, Syed Altaf Bukhari; Minister for Health & Medical Education, Bali Bhagat; Minister of State for Hajj & Auqaf, Syed Farooq Indrabi; legislators, Choudhary Qamar Hussain, Yaspaul Sharma, former Minister, Thakur Puran Singh; Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Dr. Pawan Kotwal, officers of district administration were present on the occasion.
