NAGROTA: Enumerating huge potential of Nagrota and its strategical location on National Highway, Provincial President National Conference Devender Singh Rana on Friday said that being in close vicinity of the capital city, the area could be developed as a multi-faceted tourism, sports and economic hub of the region.
“We have a vision, which will be realised with the whole-hearted support of the people and sincerity of purpose,” Rana said while kick-starting a mega road development project in Surinsar area, a scenic destination for the nature lovers.
Rana, who is representing Nagrota Constituency in the Assembly, started the improvement and upgradation of circular road at the famous tourist destination of Surinsar in presence of Sarpanchs and the local people. The improvement and upgradation envisages laying interlocking tiles, erecting of ornamental grills, construction of drains and culverts around the lake so that the road around it does not get washed away or submerge in water as it used to be.
Rana said development is a continued process and when related with localised potential it can turn as game changer for improving the lives of people in terms of generating economic avenues. He said better infrastructure to the areas like Surinsar will give fillip to tourism activity and in turn the local people can benefit immensely adding his endeavour has been to move ahead on developmental plank in order to develop the constituency on modern lines, keeping in view its strategic importance. “While there is need to get works, approved under the annual plan, expedited, thrust is equally required on harnessing the potential of the area”, he said and added that Nagrota being rich in terms of tourism destinations can be developed as a State project.
The MLA said he will pursue this agenda vigorously and seek special funds for the purpose. “Development of tourist rich areas can give fillip to tourism activities in the Jammu region in a big way”, he said and stressed the need for perspective planning of the identified areas like Surinsar. On his part, he said, he has been making concerted efforts to put the area on tourist map of the State. In this connection he referred to kite festival organised in Surinsar last year with an avowed objective of putting the place on a bigger canvass. He also referred to various other initiatives aimed at bringing the constituency under focus. For achieving the objective of developing Nagrota as a model constituency, he said road network needs a priority attention while the regulated water and power supply equally assumes importance.
On the road upgradation project, taken up today, the MLA urged the executing agency to ensure quality work and its completion within stipulated time frame. He stressed the importance of the circular road and said this is needed to be laid in accordance with the aesthetical grandeur of the area and the lake.
Sarpanch Surinsar Subash Singh Advocate, Sarpanch Nagrota Rameshwar Dutt, Sarpanch Pounthal Mohan Singh, Sarpanch Bain Bajalta Ch Rehmat Ali, Ch Bashir, Jagidsh Raj Khajuria, Sarpanch Mohan Lal, Bashir Ahmed Kohli, Kuldeep Kumar and others besides National Conference leader Sajjad Shaheen were also present on the occasion.