Jammu, August 25
With Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad taking a series of steps for its development, his home district of Doda is expected to shun the stigma of being the most backward and poverty-stricken area in the state.
During his two-day stay earlier this week at Bhaderwah, the constituency he represents in the Assembly, he laid a slew of foundation stones and announced schemes to develop the area, which had been neglected by past governments. Mr Azad also fixed targets for the completion of the projects.
Although Doda is the largest district, its road connectivity of 9 per cent is the lowest in the state.
He unwrapped surprise gifts for all three important areas — Doda, Bhaderwah and Kishtwar — in his home district.
Most areas of the district have hardly seen any development during the past 60 years. And this has had a bearing on the literacy rate, which stands at a dismal 18.5 per cent for the district.
To give a fillip to the Bhaderwah sub-division, Mr Azad laid the foundation stone of a Rs 2 crore tourism complex, which is coming up amidst picturesque surroundings.
A team of tourism operators from various parts of the country accompanied Mr Azad to explore the tourism potential of the area.
Also accompanying was Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig, who holds the Finance portfolio, to ensure smooth flow of funds for the growth of the area.
During his earlier stint as Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister at the Centre, Mr Azad had sanctioned funds for the construction of a tourist complex at Bhaderwah. But tourist huts and other infrastructure thus constructed remained neglected as the state government turned a blind eye to these.
The Bhaderwah valley, with its picturesque settings, is known as a “mini Kashmir” but has remained unexposed to the outside world so far.
As the first step towards its development, Mr Azad got the proposed campus of Jammu University shifted to Bhaderwah from Udhampur and ensured that the work on it was augmented.
He also approached the Centre for running the local radio station that lacked requisite staff.
Besides Bhaderwah, Mr Azad recently met the longstanding demand of Kishtwar tehsil by giving it the district status.
Work on the Dul-Hasti Hydroelectric Project of the NHPC was also being augmented.
The Chief Minister allotted 80 kanals of land for Kendriya Vidayalaya at Bhaderwah after a deputation of students and teachers called on him in the town on Monday last and brought to his notice the constraints that had been blocking the growth of the institution. He also announced the construction of a hostel for members of the Scheduled Tribe.
