Advisor Farooq Khan visits Rajouri; reviews development scenario

Rajouri: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan, on Thursday visited Rajouri district and held a meeting with the district administration to review developmental scenario in the district.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Commissioner, Director Tribal Affairs, Director Horticulture, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, Assistant Commissioner Revenue, General Manager District Industries Center, Superintendent Engineers PHE and PDD Rajouri-Poonch, Project Officer ICDS, Chief Executive Officer RDA, Principal GMC, besides other district officers.

Advisor, while speaking during the meeting, asked the officers to lay special focus on prompt service delivery besides ensuring speedy and timely disposal of public grievances through an effective mechanism. He directed to mobilize all the available resources for completion of all ongoing and languishing projects. He laid emphasis on saturation of centrally sponsored and individual beneficiary oriented schemes. He directed the concerned officers to ensure 100% coverage of eligible beneficiaries under these schemes.

Meanwhile, Advisor met several deputations and individuals to listen to their grievances and demands during public hearing held at Thanamandi and Rajouri.

At Thanamandi, five deputations of various political parties besides DDC Member Thanamandi Constituency called on the Advisor and raised a number of issues and demands of their respective areas including paucity of staff in PHC Thanamandi and its up gradation to SDH, ambulance facility, sanctioning of Fire and Emergency station, sanctioning of ITI College, augmentation of tourism infrastructure, sanctioning of funds for MC Thanamandi, construction of link road from Shadra bridge to Jamia Masjid, road from Baglan to Siron, road from Thanamandi to Churungh and light motorable bridge at Kotebehrote, sanctioning of High School at Azmtabad, sanctioning of Anganwadi centres and connected issues.

At Rajouri, over a dozen of deputations including Refugees, locals of Doongi led by BDC Chairperson Doongi, DDC Members, locals of Subderbani led by DDC Member Subderbani, locals of Siot led by BDC Chairperson Siot, a deputation of locals of Rajouri block led by DDC Member Rajouri Constituency, locals of Rajouri, Beopar Mandal, people of block Panjgrain, Municipal Council Rajouri led by the President MC Rajouri, prominent citizens besides others met the Advisor and projected several issues and demands including involvement of BDC Chairpersons in formulation of development plans, payment of works completed under TSP, sanctioning of 10 Additional handpumps in each block, maintenance of ziarats, sanctioning of a Degree College and Bank branch and provision of Broadband facility at Qila Darhal, sanctioning of additional bunkers for border residents, release of funds under special package in favour of Refugees in the district, special recruitment drive for refugees, establishment of Tehsildar Office at Doongi, start of work on GDC Doongi and related issues.

Advisor said that the LG government is committed to bring governance at the doorsteps of public and has initiated numerous reforms to cater to the developmental needs of the people with special focus on public participation.

Advisor educated the PRIs about their role in formulating need based development plans of their areas for enhanced progress.

Advisor said that the matter regarding establishment of Super Specialty Hospital at Thanamandi shall be taken up with the concerned. He assured that the vacant posts of medical staff in all the health institutions shall be fulfilled in a phased manner. He also assured that all the pension cases of different categories shall be settled in the district in a time bound manner.

Advisor asked the PRIs to ensure that all the construction workers in the areas of their respective jurisdiction are registered with the Labour Department so that they can avail the benefits of several schemes launched by the government for their well-being.

About construction of sports stadium at Thanamandi, he asked the concerned officer to identify suitable state land for the purpose.

DDC apprised the Advisor of various welfare schemes and programmes being implemented in the district besides highlighting the physical and financial progress on development works being executed by different executing agencies in the district.

While giving details of the works under the Languishing scheme, he was informed that as many as 209 projects have been sanctioned under the said scheme and work on all these projects is under different phases of execution.

Regarding construction of border bunkers, DDC informed that out of 3141 bunkers being executed by PWD and RDD in the district work on 2537 bunkers is complete in all respects and the rest are under different phases of execution.

About progress on GMC Rajouri, it was apprised that work on administrative and academic block of the college shall be completed soon.

DDC also highlighted the physical and financial progress on other development works including Gujjar and Bakerwal Hostel at Mehra Nagrota, Sports stadium at Kotranka, ANS Irrigation Canal etc.

DDC also brought in the notice of the Advisor several issues hampering the execution of several development projects.

Later, Advisor distributed clothes and stationery kits among adolescent girls under BBBP besides disbursing financial assistance amounting Rs 68,05,000 among 600 beneficiaries under scholarship scheme of labour department.

Meanwhile, Advisor paid a visit to Mahila Shakti Kendra and One Stop Centre Rajouri and reviewed their functioning. He paid obeisance at the Shrine of Shahdara Sharief and also reviewed the arrangements there being made for the devotees. He visited the Shrine premises and had a briefing from the officers and Shrine administrator about the arrangements being made for the Urs devotees.