Srinagar, 3 July: Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta today urged officers of Srinagar Smart City Ltd (SSCL) and Jammu Smart City Ltd (JSCL), as well as the concerned Divisional Administration, to expedite the pace of works to ensure that all ongoing projects are completed in a timely manner.
While reviewing the development of smart cities in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, he issued these directives at a meeting held at the Civil Secretariat here.
Principal Secretaries from H&UDD and Education as well as the Divisional Commissioner and Commissioner Secretaries from Kashmir and Jammu, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of SSCL and JSCL, respectively, and the Chief Engineer and Chief Operating Officer of PWD in Kashmir and Jammu were present at the meeting.
The Chief Secretary reviewed all of the Smart City Mission-related initiatives currently underway in the two cities and established completion dates for them during the meeting. He said it was not acceptable for the projects to be delayed for an extended period of time.
Dr. Mehta, while reviewing the various projects in Srinagar City, instructed the officers to hasten the execution of projects under the Smart City Mission by making every effort to complete the works on the Nishat precinct, Shalimar Canal, Foreshore Road, Lal Chowk, and other areas by the designated deadlines. He expressed optimism that some of these tasks may be wrapped up in the next two weeks.
He instructed the appropriate officials to increase the resources at all active construction sites to speed up progress.
He emphasised the need of working around the clock in Lal Chowk to get the city’s current initiatives done as quickly as feasible. He stressed that Lal Chowk needs quick improvement because of the large number of visitors that visit there.
In addition, he inspected the progress of the Smart City Mission’s Apsara road Jammu project and gave orders for its completion by August 15. He argued that the project’s completion will improve the area’s beauty, as well as the people’s social and economic standing.
He also looked over the floriculture department’s projects and urged the officers in charge of them to get them done on schedule so that J&K’s cities and tourist attractions may look their best.
