Sgr- Sharjah flights strengthening our links with UAE, says LG Sinha
Asserting that the Government of India (GoI) is ramping up infrastructure of Jammu and Kashmir, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that the linkages to UAE are getting firmer with a direct international flight between Srinagar and Sharjah.
“We are entering into memorandum of understanding (MoU) with several UAE based firms which are investing in malls, hospitality, tourism and hospitals in J&K. Top names like DP World, Emaar and Lulu Group are among those very keen to invest in the valley,” who is currently visiting the UAE to promote investments in J&K, said DP World will build a inland port in the newly created Union Territory.
Sinha added that the trade between Jammu & Kashmir and Dubai has remained steady, despite Covid-19 challenges and this reflects the resilience of the deep economic linkages between the two places.
“We have also held talks with various IT firms in Dubai. In the coming months we are planning to invite these investors to Kashmir to take a first-hand look at all that we have to offer. There is great hope from these new tie-ups and what actually gives us this hope is the great contact between people of India and the UAE,” he said.
He said post-2015, this relationship took a new form when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UAE. Since then, the PM has come to the UAE three times. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, also visited India as the chief guest of Republic Day parade 2017.
“There is a new warmth in relations between the two nations. I am hopeful that investments from the UAE shall increase manifold in the days ahead,” he said
“After Emaar and LuLu Group, Dubai’s DP World will be the next big UAE company to invest in India’s Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
“They have already earmarked a 250-acre site. We have met with DP World officials and they will soon visit the site and finalise the project,” Sinha said in an interview on Thursday.
The government of Dubai had recently inked an agreement with India to ramp up infrastructure investment in Jammu and Kashmir, and as per the deal, Dubai will deliver more than a billion dollars’ worth of projects in Kashmir, including industrial parks, a medical college, a specialty hospital, logistic centres, IT towers and multi-purpose towers.
Recently, Emaar, Dubai’s state-owned real estate giant, announced it is building a 500,000-sqft shopping mall in Srinagar.
UAE-based retail major LuLu group on Thursday said it will invest Rs200 billion in Jammu and Kashmir to set up a food processing and logistic hub. The LuLu group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Jammu and Kashmir Government in this regard, the company said in a statement.
Sinha said he expects many more projects to come to Kashmir in the future and credited the strong India-UAE relationships to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“India and the UAE share historical ties. But we have not seen this level of cooperation between the two countries,” said Sinha.
“UAE is a launching pad for Jammu and Kashmir and its products to enter other Arab countries and also the rest of the world. With the coming up of an inland port by DP world, our freight problems will be solved and Kashmir’s products will reach the world markets. Our farmers will benefit with the production unit. We are going to have a sea change in Kashmir.”
Asked when the mall and the port will materialize, Sinha said: “There is no delay from our side. It is in our interest that projects kickstart at the earliest and we are facilitating it.”
He said the government is issuing permissions through a single-window system within 30 days.
“The land acquisition has been made easier through a landmark judgement. Our electricity is cheaper than any other state. We are also offering incentives on return of investments for businesses,” he said.
