Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Jambu Zoo at Nagrota on Monday.
Congratulating the people and all stakeholder departments, Sinha acknowledged the hard work put in by all workers during the zoo’s construction.
“This much awaited addition to the tourist destinations of J&K UT, spread over a 70 hectare area in Phase-1, was taken up under the Languishing Project and it shall attract both local residents and tourists visiting the union territory,” said the Lt Governor.
The scenic beauty around the first-of-its-kind full-fledged zoo in the UT will make it a unique tourist destination and has the potential to boost tourism in the region, he added.
The Lt Governor also spoke on the developmental journey of J&K and highlighted the efforts to develop better facilities for both locals and visiting tourists, besides improving the quality of living for all.
“J&K UT is at a cusp in its development trajectory. We have broken fresh ground to enable faster growth. We are now at a stage where we need to accelerate this growth, make it more inclusive and convert the UT's potential into reality,” Sinha said.
“With the successful conduct of the G20 Summit, J&K UT has entered a new era of opportunities. It is a rare moment and the world is applauding J&K's saga of development. We must work together to keep pace with the rest of the states and contribute to the significant task of Viksit Bharat 2047,” he added.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to empower every section of society, especially the youth, in achieving the goals of sustainable and inclusive development.
“Our youth are the architects of new Jammu and Kashmir and we are seeing a steady rise in youth entrepreneurs who are working with dedication to build a prosperous society and preserve our civilisational-cultural values and our commitment to peace,” he observed.
The Lt Governor said the historic G20 Summit and the reformative youth-centric endeavours of the UT government have opened up endless opportunities for the socio-economic empowerment of Kashmiri youth.
“Within one year, more than 82,000 business units have been established, providing 2.85 lakh youth with direct employment opportunities. Under Mission Youth, we have extended handholding to 70,000 young boys and girls to become self-reliant,” said the Lt Governor.
He said under the Languishing Project, J&K has successfully completed 1500 projects that had been pending for the last 10 to 20 years.
“Our cities are being transformed into smart cities and our villages are getting more integrated into the mainstream development. The basic infrastructure is being strengthened to realise the potential of every region,” Sinha said.
The Lt Governor called upon the people to cooperate in the government’s endeavours to develop tourism and other infrastructure in the region.
He announced the free entry for all to the zoo for a month. He also announced that the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple built by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam will be dedicated to the people on June 8.
Bharat Bhushan, Chairperson of DDC Jammu, and Jugal Kishore Sharma, Member of Parliament, also expressed their gratitude to the UT administration for dedicating the Jambu Zoo to the public and giving impetus to development of the region.
Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta called for exploring all the possibilities to make the zoo one of the finest in India.
Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, Department of Forests, and Suresh Kr. Gupta, PCCF / Chief Wildlife Warden, J&K, gave a detailed briefing on the zoo’s highlights.
Senior officials of civil administration and police, PRIs and ULB members, and people were present in large numbers on the occasion.