MP Khatana asks NHAI to ensure employment to J&K youth

Jammu, Oct 10: BJP MP RajyaSabha Engineer Gulam Ali Khatana Tuesday directed National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials to ensure employment to skilled and unskilled unemployed youth of Jammu and Kashmir.

He also asked the NHAI officials to resolve the Sarore toll plaza issue as per the wishes of the people of Jammu region.

He issued these directions during a meeting with the officials of NHAI led by its regional Director P Siva Shankar and attended by Project Directors Yashpal Singh Jadoan; engineer Purshotam Kumar Phonsa.

Khatana stressed the need for quality work and job opportunities for the local youth. He said that during the past 70 years of Cong, NC, PDP rule, people suffered due to bad governance and trust deficit.

“The Prime Minister NarendraModi led government has taken various steps to restore the faith of the people in democratic process, and initiated path-breaking developmental projects so that youth of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are involved in gainful employment,” he said.

The BJP MP further said that NHAI had been executing various projects which had a vast potential of creating employment opportunities with the companies executing these projects besides compensation for acquiring their lands etc. He directed that NHAI officials must look into the complaints of corrupt practices by officials (of these companies executing the projects) who allegedly were indulging in corrupt practices and promoting mafia.

He said that some complaints of sub-standard work were also being made by the local representatives, PRI, DDC members etc.

Earlier, P Siva Shankar, Regional Director, NHAI, Jammu informed about various projects undertaken by the NHAI, including Circular road; Jammu-Udhampur; Udhampur-Ramban and Ramban-Banihal and NH 44. He further said that work on Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Highway was more than 20 per cent complete and progressing fast. He said that NHAI would ensure employment to local unskilled and skilled youth in the ongoing projects besides looking into the complaints against them.