Srinagar, June 17: Officials said today that the Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, went on a long tour of Srinagar to check on the development and beauty work being done as part of the Srinagar Smart City Mission.
The Chief Secretary was joined by the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, the Commissioner of SMC and the Chief Executive Officer of Srinagar Smart City, the VC of the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority, the VC of the SDA and other officers from line departments.
During the tour, the Chief Secretary went to Moominabad Batamaloo, Tatoo Ground, Jhelum Riverfront Development Project, Traditional Souq Market and Craft Centre, GhantaGhar, Srinagar Plaza, Nishat Garden area, Northern Foreshore Road, and Shalimar Canal, an official said.
Dr. Mehta saw that the improved Jhelum Riverfront and Srinagar Plaza near Ghanta Ghar would become two of the city’s biggest attractions. He told the people in charge to speed up their work even more and finish all of these projects as soon as possible.
The Chief Secretary was happy with how clean Dal Lake was when he went to Nishat to check on how the lake was being cleaned. He said that the body of water looks much better than it did before, but he also said that more work needs to be done for an even better result. He told the VC, LC&MA, to move quickly on connecting houseboats to sewers and to shift their attention to the cleanliness of the lake’s innards as well. He also told them to start boat sports on the Dal to make the lake more interesting and give people a way to make a living.
Dr. Mehta noticed that the city is changing quickly for the better because smart city projects are being finished so quickly. He also said that the current work would give the city a huge makeover, making it more appealing to both locals and tourists.
When Dr. Mehta went to Dal Lake, he looked at the work being done to improve the lakefront along Northern Foreshore Road from Nishat to NaseemBagh. This included a public path. The plan also includes building bike paths and observation decks.
The Chief Secretary said that all of the houseboats need to be linked to STPs. He said that the 36 MLD capacity of Sewage Treatment should be used as well as possible and that all 900 houseboats in the lake should be connected to the Sewage lines right away.
The Chief Secretary also looked at the work being done to upgrade and rebuild the NishatBagh neighbourhood. This included the roads, walkways, plaza, wooden deck, and planting in the area, as well as the work being done to develop the Shalimar canal.
The Chief Secretary was told that the project at Foreshore Road includes building a walkway, finishing it, adding bike paths, green areas, planting and putting electricity lines underground, among other things. The project is going to cost Rs 32.50 Cr to finish.
The implementing departments promised the Chief Secretary that they would finish all of these projects as soon as possible. They told him that they were going to speed up the work on each spot. They also said that they would work every day until all of the goals he set during the visit were met.
At the time, he was told that of the 137 SSCL projects, 66 are done and work is still going on another 77. These projects will not only improve facilities, but also make life better for the people who live there.
