PM to preside launch of industrial investment in J&K in March: LG

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the groundbreaking ceremony of the launch of industrial investments worth 20,000 to 25,000 crore rupees here next month, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said on Tuesday.

He sought cooperation of the people to the efforts of his administration to usher a new dawn of peace, prosperity and development under the leadership of Modi in the Union Territory.

Someday back, I have requested the Prime Minister to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony of the launch of industrial investment to the tune of Rs.20,000 crore to Rs.25,000 crore. He has asked us to complete the formalities and expressed willingness to be among the people of Jammu and Kashmir to preside over the function by March, the Lt Governor said.

Sinha was speaking at a function organized at Bajalta here to inaugurate 20 power projects completed at a cost of Rs.48 crore to provide better power supply to consumers in five districts of Jammu, Udhampur, Poonch, Rajouri and Reasi districts.

He said within the next one-and-a-half-year, two major projects will be completed to make Jammu and Kashmir self-reliant in the power sector.

Lauding the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the industrial investment scheme for Jammu and Kashmir, he said an industrial investment worth Rs.25,000 crore was expected but the scheme is such that we are confident that there will be an investment of over Rs.70,000 crore in the next couple of years for which we need electricity and land.

He said the government land available with the industries department is being allotted to investors who have deposited the fee and submitted the detailed project reports and the process is likely to be completed by February 20 in the run up to the groundbreaking industrial investment ceremony.

A new dawn will usher in J&K under the leadership of Prime Minister the industrialists have shown their interest and a lot of jobs will be generated. We have made necessary changes in our laws while Rs.1 lakh crore worth road and tunnel projects are in progress to provide modern infrastructure, he said.

Seeking cooperation of all sections of the society, he said, You have to support the government efforts to make the atmosphere conducive. I assure you of economic development, progress and social justice.

He said the government is fulfilling the aspirations of all sections of the society and I am saying it with confidence that we are moving forward to ensure accountability, transparency and responsive administration.

Terming electricity a prerequisite for economic development, the Lt Governor said J&K has a lot of capacity for power generation which was not fully tapped over the years, while the distribution and transmission system was also in a very bad shape.

After I took over, we started work in a systematic way to improve distribution and transmission and also made attempts to tap resources for power generation with the whole hearted support of the central government. We have 3500 Mega Watt power available and by 2024, another 2500 MWs will be added, he said, adding that within the next one-and-a-half years, two major projects will be completed which will make J&K self-reliant in the power sector.

He said out of 128 sub-projects taken under Prime Minister’s Development Package to improve transmission and distribution system, 134 were completed and rest of the 54 are being completed by March end.
Sinha said his administration is making attempts to provide relief to the people of both the divisions of Kashmir and Jammu who used to suffer due to power outages during winter and summer.

Providing electricity to the consumers is the responsibility of the government but the people have also a responsibility to pay their bills on time. We are installing electricity meters and they need to support the department as there is no option to give free electricity, he said.

However, the Lt Governor said his administration will have a sympathetic view of the condition of the poor and the farmers.

He also said India is proud of its armed forces and prayed for “good sense” to those questioning the surgical strike on terror camps in Pakistan in the aftermath of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.

“There is no doubt about the bravery of the armed forces and they are enjoying respect for their work which they have done over 70-75 years. The whole country is proud of them,” the LG told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

He was responding to a question about media reports that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had said he would like to know the truth about the surgical strike.

“God should give good sense to such people so that they have good opinions about the country and the Army,” Sinha said.

On protests and filing of objections by associate members over a draft proposal of the Delimitation Commission that was set up to redraw the assembly seats of the Union Territory, he said India is a democratic country where everyone is free to speak.

“The Election Commission is a constitutional body and the Delimitation Commission works in accordance with the delimitation act enacted by Parliament. We have a democracy and a Constitution which gives everyone the freedom to speak,” he said.

Sinha said that if the associate members have any objection, they should file it before the commission. The report will be out in public domain and if an ordinary person feels that there is a mistake, he should also raise his objection, the LG said.
“This is the beauty of our democracy,” he said.

Earlier, Sinha said his administration’s aim is to make the Jammu and Kashmir Power Department self-sustaining and to reduce power theft which is “proving to be cancer for this sector”.

“I appeal to the people to help the administration control theft, reduce wasteful consumption, cut down losses and report offenders to authorities,” he said.

The LG said the government is planning to invest Rs.12,000 crore for capacity augmentation, upgrading transmission and distribution systems to remove all supply constraints, strengthen electrification assets and deliver electricity through underground wires in Jammu and Srinagar.