Poonch Mar 1: Continuing with its efforts of connecting with the people at grassroots level, Minister for Jal Shakti, Javed Ahmad Rana, today concluded his Rajouri-Poonch tour with an extensive public outreach camp held at Balakote where he met several delegations who raised their concerns and issues.
The camp was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner Poonch, Tahir Mustafa Malik besides SDM Mendhar and various district and sectoral officers from line departments and locals.
During the outreach camp, the Minister interacted with several deputations who highlighted pressing issues like establishment of Government Degree College and Girls High School for Balakote, upgradation of various educational institutions, enhancement of healthcare infrastructure, provision of fire and emergency vehicles for the area, improvement of road infrastructure, establishment of model residential full boarding school, improvement in Power infrastructure, welfare of tribal communities, timely completion of Khanetar Basooni WSS, upgradation of WSS Naloi and installation of water hand pumps in the areas and other developmental needs.
The Minister assured the delegations of government’s commitment towards resolving their concerns in a time bound manner.
Javed Rana was on a five day tour to Pir Panjal region during which he convened a series of public camps in Mankote, Mendhar to assess the developmental needs of the people so that the same are prioritised in the government policies.
Addressing the people at Balakote, Rana emphasised the government's proactive approach towards addressing their development needs and prioritising their basic requirements to enhance overall quality of life.
The Minister also announced several development initiatives for the area which included a significant investment of 1 crore for construction of Tehsil Office Complex and doctors' residential quarters in Balakote. Additionally, there is a plan to build two guest houses at Bhimber Gali which is a proactive step towards boosting tourism in the area.
The Minister further stated, "Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, has given clear directions to listen and address public issues at their doorstep and our government is committed to fulfil all the promises made with the people”.
Javed Rana said that outreach camp is part of the government's initiatives to ensure that citizen voices are heard and concerns addressed. "Community engagement helps to improve the efficiency and transparency of our decision making. It enables the government to make more informed decisions and mapping out the needs of local communities on issues that matter to them," he maintained.
Emphasising the need to provide all-weather connectivity to unconnected habitations in Balakote block and other areas, Rana called to conduct surveys for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to identify eligible habitations and routes. He also directed the concerned to make adequate provisions for drinking water in high school Balakote.
Rana also set targets for the Jal Shakti Department and Power Development Department in the Block and asked the officers to work in tandem so that all the works are completed in time.
The Minister also called for urgent action on rainwater harvesting techniques and said there is a need to raise awareness among the people to protect and preserve this vital resource. "Water scarcity combined with climate change has a huge impact on the lives of people. Water table is receding at a fast pace and water resources are also drying up. We need to act fast and collectively for our future generations,” he added.
He said that this proactive approach paves the way for sustainable resource management, ensuring that water scarcity issues are addressed and that agricultural productivity is maintained.
As part of the outreach initiative, the Minister also participated in a plantation and awareness drives organised by the J&K Forest Department under the theme "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”.