Jammu, Mar 8: Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, today conducted an extensive tour of border areas in R.S. Pura to review the progress of developmental works and address the public grievances.

During the visit, the Deputy Chief Minister convened a day long public outreach programme at Village Sai, where he interacted with a large gathering of residents and listened to their concerns.
Pushing for holistic development of border areas, the Deputy Chief Minister directed the concerned departments to identify suitable land patches for construction of a Community Hall, an Industrial Estate and other public facilities in the area.
“Our emphasis is on sustainable and inclusive development and the government is determined to strengthen the infrastructure and improve livelihood opportunities in border regions,” he said.
He asked the officials to explore the possibilities for establishment of an Industrial Estate on available government land, making it clear that industries would not be set up by acquiring farmers’ land.
Highlighting the importance of skill development, the Deputy Chief Minister also called for strengthening training opportunities and skilling local youth for better livelihood opportunities. He further directed the concerned departments to organise awareness-cum-registration camps under the Labour and Employment Department so that eligible residents can avail welfare benefits.
“I urge all the residents to register for labour cards, which provide benefits such as marriage assistance for daughters, scholarships for child education and health insurance coverage for the workers,” he said.
Earlier, the Deputy Chief Minister paid obeisance at the revered Baba Hare Peer Dargah and prayed for peace, harmony and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir.
Later, he inspected the restoration work of the Hare Peer Bridge at Sai Kalan and expressed serious concern over the poor design and execution of the project.
Taking strong notice of the delay and technical shortcomings, he directed the concerned authorities to conduct an enquiry into the matter. He stressed that permanent restoration, including strengthening and protection of the existing infrastructure, must be completed at the earliest to ensure seamless connectivity for residents of the border areas.