KATHUA, 26 July: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today held an over two-hour long Public Durbar at this far flung hilly town, as part of his continued outreach efforts to engage directly with citizens and local representatives , not only at district level bit also at Tehsil, block and Panchayat level.
The entire district administration including senior officers of various departments like PWD, PHE, Education, Health, PMGSY etc were present to facilitate grievance redressal on the spot and ensure prompt action.
In a separate meeting , the Minister also discussed the security situation in the region with district administrative and police officers. The Minister was briefed about measures taken for higher vigil and surveillance following incidents of recent armed encounters and killings.
The Minister said that he had received requests from public for deployment of security forces at certain vulnerable points and expressed the view that an immediate call should be taken because it also builds confidence in the locals and raises their morale.In turn, the Minister was assures by the concerned officers that they would arrange for deployment of paramilitary forces in these areas.
In a major announcement , Dr Jitendra Singh issued directions for replacing of the decades old “Jhoola” bridge in the heart of the Bani town , which was in popular use despite having become unsafe with passage of time. He directed the administration to prepare a DPR and the funds can accordingly be arranged, partly from his MPLAD-Fund.
In reply to a media query on the status of Chattergala tunnel, Dr Jitendra Singh said efforts are being made to get the project included in the current plan so that work on it starts sooner than later. He said the 6.8 kilomtere Chattergala tunnel will connect Lakhanpur with Doda via Bani and provide all-weather alternate road connectivity between the two distant regions. It will also reduce travel time from Doda to Lakhanpur to about four hours and boost tourism as well as employment in the region.
Dr Jitendra Singh expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for according priority to the project, saying that after he assumed the office, work on the project plan was expedited. He said earlier the project was given to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), but was handed over to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at a later stage as the estimated cost of the tunnel is nearly 4,000 crore rupees.
During the public interaction, Dr Jitendra Singh listened patiently to the grievances and demands raised by individual citizens and public delegations. Several issues were resolved on-the-spot, while in other cases, the Minister issued directions to the concerned district officials for swift and time-bound manner.
During today’s Public Durbar, the administration also provided the Union Minister with the updates on several pending matters that were raised in previous such public interactive meetings. He assured the attendees that he would personally monitor the progress of the issues brought to light today and ensure that the district administration acts upon them without delay.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Jitendra Singh emphasized that elected representatives have a responsibility not only to solve the genuine issues of the people but also to make them feel available, heard and cared for. “The Public Durbar initiative is one of the most effective means of strengthening the bridge between the people and their government,” he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh also announced the widening of the Dhar Road, a key move to ensure smooth and secure movement of commuters as well as security forces given its strategic significance.
Local MLA Dr Rameshwar, former MLA Jeevan Lal, MLA Basohli Darshan Singh, DDC Chairman Col Mahan Singh, DDC members Rita Thakur, Narain Dutt Tripathi, prominent local leaders Uttam Goswami and others were also present on the occasion.
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