Govt will make Jammu city engine of J&K’s growth: LG

Jammu, Oct 13: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday said that the government would make Jammu city an engine of Jammu and Kashmir’s growth.

An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that inaugurating the complete street development of Apsara Road High Street Gole Market Area along with adjoining roads, the LG said, “Our prime objective is to transform Jammu city into a centre of opportunities for all sections and develop it as an engine of growth and also an incubator for young entrepreneurs of J&K. We are ensuring that basic utilities are upgraded to meet the demand, and it is inclusive and sustainable to handle growing urbanisation.”

He said that this road network was a key project of Jammu Smart City Limited.

Sinha dedicated the upgradation and modernisation of a road network of 13.5 km in Gandhi Nagar and the development of a 600-meter Apsara road stretch into a high street to the people and the local business community.

He said that the revamping of the famous Apsara road would make the market area a major center of attraction for the local people as well as the tourists coming to Jammu and also give a boost to the business and economic activities.

The LG reiterated the commitment of the J&K administration to bring about a transformative change in the urban environment.

“For quality living, smart mobility, and beautification of Jammu city, we have focused on building new and resilient infrastructure. The upgradation of existing physical infrastructure is also providing a solid framework for progress and preparing our cities to meet future challenges,” he said. “Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are making earnest efforts for urban rejuvenation and development of facilities to meet the aspiration of the common man. Affordable Rental Housing Complex inaugurated in August was targeted to ensure that the urban population living in slums can access to basic services and livable habitats. A huge workforce contributing to growth has benefitted from this initiative.”

Sinha said that various ongoing projects including Tawi River Front, heritage conservation, street development from Mubarak Mandi to Raghunath Bazaar, rejuvenation of water bodies, beautification of the approach road to Bahu Fort, waste management, Blue Green Project of Ranbir Canal, and the addition of more electric buses to the fleet in coming days would improve the ease of living and make the city more vibrant and sustainable.

“Infrastructure of smart equipment for solid waste management, traffic, and smart city policing would also be launched soon to ensure that the functioning of the city is smooth,” he said.

The LG said that citizens and other stakeholders should cooperate in the development process, discharge their duty with complete dedication, and pay for government services.

“If capable of paying the bill, I announce here that we will waive off the electricity bill of poor people. A discriminatory system benefiting few will not work here. The 1.30 crore citizens of Jammu Kashmir are our priority,” he said. “I assure the people that the government will take every decision in favour of the people, traders, and business fraternity. Our doors are open 24 hours. I welcome all the suggestions regarding advancement of the society.”

Mayor of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) Rajinder Sharma; Member of Parliament, Jugal Kishore Sharma; Chief Secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta; IGP Jammu, Anand Jain; Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar; and CEO Jammu Smart City, Rahul Yadav were present on the occasion.