STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Arun Gupta, President of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCI) Jammu, on Friday held a meeting with Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo to discuss various developmental issues and concerns in the region.
Gupta emphasized the need to expedite the development and beautification of Tawi River banks, along with the creation of a freshwater lake. These projects are essential to attract pilgrims and tourists, especially considering the upcoming train connectivity to the Kashmir Valley, he said.
Gupta highlighted the slow progress of work on the Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex and urged for its expedited completion. He also suggested initiating the light and sound system at the complex at the earliest.
Gupta proposed developing Patnitop as a tourist hub similar to Gulmarg and Pahalgam, emphasizing the importance of allowing commercial activities in the area. Gupta pointed out the untapped tourist potential of the Peer Panchal mountainous region, as well as places like Poonch and Rajouri districts. He urged for concerted efforts to tap into these resources.
Gupta suggested improving road connectivity and erecting picnic spots to interconnect religiously important places like Shiv Khori, Mata Vaishno Devi, Sudh Mahadev, and tourist attractions like Patnitop and Sanasar.
Gupta highlighted the dearth of commercial and residential areas due to the lack of establishment by JDA and the Housing Board in the past three decades. He proposed exploring possibilities in this regard.
Gupta suggested formulating a scheme to grant ownership rights of leasehold industrial land to local entrepreneurs after a certain period, along with granting ownership rights to existing warehouse allottees.
Gupta urged for the renewal of lease deeds for allottees of Sabzi Mandi, Fruit Mandi Narwal, and Bahu Plaza commercial shops, whose lease deeds have expired. He proposed redefining the classification of “Gair Mumkin Khud” land by the Revenue Department to allow commercial and construction activities.
Gupta also requested steps to repair the unsafe old bus stand building and proposed its redevelopment into a new multistory project while ensuring the rehabilitation of affected shopkeepers. He urged for expediting the development of Transport Nagar Narwal and releasing additional funds to ensure its timely completion. Gupta welcomed infrastructure projects like flyovers but emphasized the need to ensure minimal inconvenience to businessmen, the general public, and emergency services during construction. Gupta welcomed the UT Government’s decision to waive off interest and surcharge on domestic power connections and demanded a similar amnesty scheme for commercial users to provide relief to traders and industrial consumers.