Rs. 4.95 cr plan to preserve Samba Fort: Bhalla ‘Asks to start landscaping, illumination projects’ SAMBA, JULY 06-Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture Mr. Raman Bhalla has said that a detailed project report of Rs. 4.95 crore has been prepared for preservation of the historical Samba Fort which was constructed by Maharaja Suchet Singh in 1822 and develop it as a prominent place of tourist attraction. This was informed by the Minister while interacting with the people after inspecting the renovation work of the Samba heritage fort, here today. District Development Commissioner Mr. R K Varma, Director Horticulture Mr. Anil Kumar Sharma, Joint Director Tourism Mr. Shiv Kumar Gupta, Consultant Tourism and Culture Mr. K A Qadri, Assistant Commissioner Revenue Mr. Ashwani Kumar Khajuria besides other senior officers of Tourism, PHE, Horticulture and Culture accompanied the Minister. Mr. Bhalla informed that the conservation project envisages restoration of rampart , view points, restoration of water tank, royal residence besides up-gradation of pathways, landscaping and installation of spotlights in and outside of the fort. The Minister asked Tourism Department to immediately start landscaping and illumination works fort after completing tendering formalities. He further informed that Government has allocated Rs. 20 lakh for this purpose. He directed the executing agency to use quality material on restoration work, adding that there should be no compromise in this regard . He asked the Tourism Department to lay flower beds and do landscaping on the open spaces within the historical Fort. Mr. Bhalla informed that Government has earmarked corpus fund of Rs. 50 crore for meeting the expenditure on conservation and preservation of rich heritage assets of the State, against which Rs. 2 crore stands released, which would be invested as long and short term measures for the purpose. He said Jammu and Kashmir is proud to have 5,000 years of living traditions with enormous number of monuments, heritage places archeology sites and their preservation is given focused attention by the Government. Mr. Bhalla said that the Government is striving hard to showcase J&K’s rich and diverse heritage and cater to multifarious interests of visitors coming to the State. He said measures are afoot to bring all heritage sites on tourism map of Jammu and Kashmir. He said fillip in State’s tourism economy is embedded in linking it with cultural distinctiveness of the state to attract tourists The Minister said that Government has declared 39 monuments as state protected heritage sites, adding that a whooping amount is being expended on the restoration and conservation of these heritage sites. He said that all the regions of the State have their own distinct identity and cultural heritage, which is being protected and showcased as heritage tourism. For boosting tourism in Jammu region, the Minister said that Government has created modern line wayside facilities for pilgrims and tourists in every spots. He said that a number of measures are being taken to develop new tourism spots and conserve century old monuments of the region. Mr. Bhalla informed that the work on ambitious cable car project proposed to connect twin heritage sites of Royal Complex Mubarak Mandi and Bahu Fort would be started soon. He said that the tenders for the works have already been floated and the process of allotment of works was likely to start soon. Referring to measures being taken for promoting tourism in other parts of the region, the Minister said that Government is looking forward to introduce water sports at Akhnoor, Baglihar and Pul Doda. Later, the Minister also visited village Mange Chack of Samba district and inspected the orchards and nurseries developed by the locals under the guideline of Horticulture Department. He called upon the farmers to avail the benefits of horticulture sponsored schemes for quality production. He said under the schemes, Government provides sufficient subsidy on the purchase of pump set, tractors besides establishment of poly green sheds and irrigation storage pond. Earlier, at Sanjay Nagar Sector-4, Mr. Bhalla laid foundation stone for upgradation of lanes and drains for which Government has earmarked Rs. 4.50 lakh. He asked the executing agency Jammu Municipal Corporation to complete the project within stipulated time frame. He asked the JMC to prepare estimates for left out lanes and drains of the locality to start their upgradation works.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 12:32:55 +0000
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