Jammu, March 3 (Scoop News) – J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Thursday emphasized the need of conserving and protecting the natural grandeur, scenic magnificence, unparalleled health resorts and famous tourist spots in Jammu and Kashmir the God has bestowed upon it in the form of gigantic mountains, lush green forests, murmuring brooks, musical streams, fresh water lakes, enchanting waterfalls, captivating springs, rear fauna and flora, and vast bio-diversity.
“Development plans should necessarily subscribe to the beauty and ecological balance of tourist places and new circuits being upgraded to showcase chaste areas for tourism”, he said adding that conservation of eco-balance is our national duty.
Chairing the 14th meeting of Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) here, the Chief Minister said that everything possible should be ensured to conserve and protect the State’s significant and priceless treasure of natural beauty.
Omar Abdullah said that
“When we preserve the beauty of our tourist places only then people from all over the World would like to visit this place”, he said underlining the importance of conservation and protection of these resorts.
The Chief Minister directed the Development Authorities and Tourism Department to jointly carve out programmes and strategies for upgrading tourist facilities in the State in complete consonance with the ecological requirements.
Omar Abdullah constituted a Committee under the Principal Secretary Planning and Development to look into the matters of identifying projects of forest and environmental importance.
Minister for Tourism, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of State for Housing, Nasir Aslam Wani, legislators, Ashok Kumar and Krishan Chander, Principal Secretary Planning and Development, Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, Commissioner Secretary Tourism, Atal Duloo, various Heads of the Departments and Chief Engineers were present in the meeting.
The Chief Minister approved Rs. 6.16 crore Sewerage Treatment Plant and Rs. 3 crore water supply scheme for Patnitop. He also directed for reflecting upgradation of springs and smaller brooks of the area in the next plan.
Chief Executive Officer, PDA, M. A. Malik in a PowerPoint presentation informed the meeting about the achievement of physical and financial targets realized during the year 2010. He also gave resume of the various schemes under execution and likely to be taken in hand for execution during the next year.
The meeting discussed matters relating to the construction of mall road at Kud, karlah-gouri kund road, passenger aerial ropeway, development of basic infrastructure facilities, power supply, upgradation of roads at Patnitop, improvement and augmentation of water supply, construction of bus-taxi stand, construction of tourist information centre-cum-food court, construction of heliport, conservation of Surinsar lake, development of Suchmahadev Bazar, taking over of Mantalai Ashram, preparation of master plan, etc.
The CEO told the meeting that more than Rs. 6.83 crores have been spent on various development and upgradation works in the area under the jurisdiction of PDA during the year 2010-11 by middle of February 2011.
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