Saroori sought Finance Minster’s personal intervention for arranging an on the spot recruitment drive in Army & J&K police at Chatroo & Kahara of his Inderwal Constituency.

Says Chenab Basin has enough hydel potential to make J&K a Self Reliant Power State.

Saroori sought Finance Minster’s personal intervention for arranging an on the spot recruitment drive in Army & J&K police at Chatroo & Kahara of his Inderwal Constituency.

CHATROO (KISHTAWAR) DECEMBER 23- Strongly advocating for construction of proposed 5-Km long Chatroo-Singpora-Vailoo tunnel connecting Kishtwar with Kashmir valley, the Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affiars, Mr. Abdul Rahim Rather today said it will also help to provide a nearest all weather alternate highway between Jammu to Srinagar besides providing short duration travel to Shri Amarnath Ji Yatris’.

Addressing a large public gathering at Chatroo in District Kishtwar, Mr. Rather said that the proposed tunnel is reportedly a one hour journey to reach to Vailoo in Anantnag Kashmir from Kishtawar. “On completion the tunnel will go a long way in developing a mega tourist circuit between Pahalgam- Baderwah- Lakhanpur- Himachal Pradesh, thereby bringing socio economic prosperity in the entire region, “Mr. Rather said and assured the people of Kishtawar that he would personally take up this long pending demand of the people with the concerned higher authorities both at Central and State Levels".

Mr Rather said, apart from huge power potential, the Chenab Valley is also endowed with the vast treasure of hydel resources, which if tapped fully would make the State not only self sufficient in power but can generate surplus energy for export to other parts of the State. He said, it is for the first time that the present government under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Mr. Omar Abdullah has made a determined effort to harness this hydel potential of the State in a big way adding that J&K Hydroelectric Projects Development Policy 2011 was approved by the State Cabinet under which ten projects of 172 MW capacity were tendered out. Not only has this, in view of the tremendous importance of power generation in the socio-conomic emancipation, a multipronged strategy been devised to generate 6000 MWs of Power during the 12^th & 13^th Five Year Plans. Besides a separate corporation in the name of Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited has been constituted which will execute 2120 MW three Power Projects in the Chenab Basin in joint venture with J&K State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) and National Hydro Power Development Corporation (NHPC). “Implementation of 690 MW Ratle Hydro Electric Project, under IPP mode, is also going on in full swing as per the schedule,” Mr. Rather said adding that the day is not far off when J&K will be a self reliant Power State. Power projects in Chenab Basin will change the destiny of the poor people of this beautiful valley, which has remained mostly unattended.

Mr. Rather assured the people of the district that the government will leave no stone unturned to redress their genuine grievances at the earliest. He said it is the main agenda of the coalition government to ensure equitable and balanced development of all the areas of the state.

Speaking on the occasion, the local MLA Mr. G. M. Saroori sought Finance Minster’s personal intervention for arranging an on the spot recruitment drive in Army & J&K police at Chatroo & Kahara areas of his constituency so that local youth can get jobs. He also requested the Finance Minister’s to intervene for getting approval of the Centre for Construction of Singpora-Vailoo tunnel. He also demanded representation to the Doda district in the Gujjar and Backward Development Board.

The DDC Kishtwar Mr Saleem Mohammad, DG Accounts & Treasuries Mr Ravi Magotra, SSP Kishtawar and concerned District Officers were also present on the occasion.