JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu said that abrogation of Article 370 has “fully integrated” Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the country in “true sense”
In his message on the eve of January 26, he said last year saw momentous change for the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
“The abrogation of temporary provisions has removed the artificial legal and economic barriers between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country and have fully integrated Jammu and Kashmir in the true sense of the term. The legal architecture and system prevailing in the rest of the country has been made applicable to Jammu and Kashmir,” he said in an official handout.
According to Murmu, people in Jammu and Kashmir have the same rights, benefits and prospects like others in rest of the states.
“Women and weaker sections like Scheduled Castes & Tribes, West Pakistan Refugees and Safai Karmacharis, now have equal democratic and economic rights. Barriers to industrial growth and trade have been removed,” he added.
Hailing the police and security forces for their fight against militancy, he said that “militancy remains the biggest concern as innocent youth are indoctrinated to take misguided path”.
“Although incidents of militancy have come down drastically, the threat posed by it requires attention not only to eradicate it but also prevent loss due to it. Our valiant security personnel need to continue to be on guard to thwart any attempts to disturb peace across Jammu and Kashmir, thereby disrupting the development, growth and opportunities for peace loving people,” Murmu added.
“As Jammu and Kashmir progresses in step with the rest of the country, there will be a boost to private investment and great opportunity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The economy will grow with more economic opportunities, businesses will thrive and the people of Jammu and Kashmir will gain on all fronts.
“55 central schemes for the benefit of individuals such as scholarships, pensions, insurance schemes, income support schemes and loans will be fully implemented with 100% coverage. All toll posts in Jammu and Kashmir have been abolished from 1st January 2020. I assure entrepreneurs that the government will take all measures to ensure that the local industry becomes competitive.”
According to the LG, the last one and a half year have been “transformative” for Jammu and Kashmir in multiple ways.
“In future, we will take more measures to ensure that government is run in a rule based manner with no arbitrariness or delays. Accountability will be ensured at all levels. The primary duty of government employees is public service and this will be ensured,” Murmu said.
He spelled out achievements of last 18 months saying a lot has been done on the development front so far. He said that implementation of Prime Ministers Development Programme (PMDP) has been accelerated with substantial progress in one and a half year as compared to the previous three years. Work has begun on the two AIIMSs, IIT, IIM, tourism projects, Jammu Ring Road, Akhnoor Road, Chenani – Sudh Mahadev road, Pakal Dul and Kiru hydropower projects, power transmission and distribution projects, Smart Cities, Dal lake, Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project, jobs and houses for Kashmiri migrants, and rehabilitation of Displaced Persons from PaK and Chamb, he added.
“Many of these are either fully or almost complete such as the two big stadiums in Jammu & Srinagar, raising four new police battalions, improving healthcare infrastructure in districts, flyover in Srinagar and the first phase of the Jhelum flood management program.
“JTFRP, where expenditures were less than 1% in July 2018, now has 85% projects awarded and under implementation. This demonstrates the seriousness with which work is being done,” he added.
On languishing projects, according to Murmu, the JKIDFC has delivered remarkably.
“Projects as old as 25 years are being completed rapidly with almost 50% of the 2,263 projects approved to be completed by March 2020 and most of the rest by March 2021. The impact of this in terms of bridges, roads, drinking water supply schemes, sports facilities and healthcare infrastructure is visible on the ground,” he added.
According to LG, many other iconic projects have also moved ahead.
“The long pending Shahpur Kandi project on Ravi is under construction and will irrigate 32,000 ha by 2023. The Ratle and Kiru projects will generate almost 1500 MW of power in 5 years. The Ujh project, which is in the final stages of sanction, will irrigate another 32,000 hectares. We should soon get a gas pipeline to Jammu and then going to Srinagar. We will build 2,000 km roads under PMGSY by March, 2020,” he added.
Two metro transit projects in Jammu and Srinagar have been finalized and the Elevated Light Rail Systems here will revolutionise the urban landscape of the two capital cities. The Metropolitan Region Development Authorities in Jammu & Srinagar, covering over 2,000 sq kms each, have finalized large regional development plans with over 100,000 units of new housing in a modern, metropolitan environment. Two iconic IT Towers are being built in Srinagar and Jammu which will generate thousands of jobs and also be a landmark on the skyline of the cities.
The Dal-Nageen lakes are being revived to their pristine glory through a multipronged approach including construction of a western foreshore road, developing Dole Demb and three locations for houseboats with bio-digesters, modern STPs for affluent treatment and beautification of the water front, he said.
Murmu said that government will establish Digital Village Centers (DVCs) at Gram Panchayats across Jammu and Kashmir equipped with IT infrastructure and connectivity. The second Phase of “Back to Village” (B2V2) Programme was successfully conducted in November to assess the functionality of Panchayati Raj Institutions and follow up on B2V held earlier in May.
This special initiative has been appreciated by all. The 74th Constitutional Amendment strengthens Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and devolves power to them. ULBs are being strengthened by devolving and decentralization of powers and responsibilities. Following the ULB elections, these bodies have received Rs. 1,180 Crore grants so far and will get Rs. 1,335 Crore more. These empowered bodies are going to be the institutions which will transform the urban landscape, he added.
36 Union Ministers visited Jammu and Kashmir last week and undertook extensive tours of districts covering 60 different locations and said that more such visits are being planned later.
To strengthen winter response, Murmu said, new equipment such as 22 bulldozers, 16 snow plough machines and 4 sophisticated snow machines have been procured.
According to him, the unbundling of Power Department into five companies will improve the power scenario gradually.
He said that healthcare Investment Policy and the 2 Medi-cities at Vijaypur and Awantipora will make Jammu and Kashmir a healthcare tourism destination.
In 2019, Murmu said that the government approved 52 new colleges across Jammu and Kashmir and created 572 posts for them. “We will establish 10 new professional colleges in Jammu and Kashmir. Each college shall be mapped with ITIs and Polytechnic for skill training,” he added.
The law agencies required to put restrictions on many fronts. These have been largely relaxed in a gradual manner, he added.
On the security front, a substantial number of bunkers are now complete in border areas of Jammu and the rest would be completed soon.
He said these are “historic times” and “Jammu and Kashmir is seeing a new dawn”.
“A dawn which promises hope, a dawn which will bring prosperity, a dawn which will lead to progress and a dawn which will usher J&K towards peace. The best way to overcome misgivings is to reaffirm our commitment to abide by the values of our Republic,” Murmu added.

Press Trust of India