Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurating ‘Ring Road’ from Akhnoor to Bhalwal in Jammu in August last year | PTI
Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurating ‘Ring Road’ from Akhnoor to Bhalwal in Jammu in August last year | PTI

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha completes a year as J&K Guv, praised for improving law and order

Three months into his tenure, Sinha decided to conduct the first-ever District Development Council (DDC) polls in J&K.

SRINAGAR:  As Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha completes a year in office on August 7, his government can list the revival of the political process, improvement in the law and order situation, a slew of development activities and the launching of many public welfare initiatives among his key achievements.

Sinha, a former three-time MP and a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term, also ended the 148-year practice of shifting the civil secretariat between Jammu and Srinagar as part of the half yearly durbar move.

Three months into his tenure, Sinha decided to conduct the first-ever District Development Council (DDC) polls in J&K. Held in November-December 2020, the DDC polls for 280 seats saw a healthy 51.7% voting. The polling was not only peaceful but there was a good voter turnout in some pockets of separatist influence.

The DDC polls led to revival of political process, which had come to halt after the security clampdown following Article 370’s abrogation. Apart from this, the thrust of the Sinha government has been on undertaking developmental activities and ensuring better road connectivity.

Road and rail connectivity projects have been prioritized and an all-weather 8.45 kms Qazigund-Banihal tunnel, which will ensure round the year movement on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, has been completed and is likely to be inaugurated soon.

The government has fixed a target of black topping 8,000 kms of road during 2021-22 and 2,200 kms of black topping has been achieved so far. A total of 2,357 projects worth Rs 7,111.78 crore have been sanctioned and of them 1,100 projects worth Rs 1,555.16 have been completed in the last one-and-a-half year. Among the projects completed include five languishing for over 20 years, 15 projects languishing for over 15 years and 165 projects languishing for over 10 years.

Of the 54 projects worth Rs 56,261 crore sanctioned under the PM’s developmental package in November 2015, only seven projects were completed till June 2018. “Now 21 projects have been completed and 12 more are likely to be completed by the end of this year,” officials said.

New infrastructure projects worth Rs 7,500 crore, including two new AIIMS, seven new medical colleges, five new nursing colleges, two state cancer institutes, metros in Jammu and Srinagar, IT parks in Srinagar and Jammu will be taken up. The developmental activities have gained momentum in view of improved law and order situation. A security official said there have been negligible stone pelting incidents in the Valley in last one year.

“Due to improved law and order situation, stone throwing incidents near encounter sites and after Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and other hotspots have been controlled,” he said. The Sinha administration intends to turn the power deficit J&K into a power surplus region by doubling power generation in three years and trebling in seven years to provide round the clock power supply.

“Only 3,500 MWs of electricity was realised in last 70 years. The government will be adding 3,000 MWs capacity by 2024-25. It will turn J&K into a power surplus region,” an official said, adding the government has also signed MoUs for 4,674 MWs power projects. In order to tackle unemployment, the government launched a Rs 28,400 crore industrial policy to encourage new investments and nurture existing industries. It expects an investment of Rs 25,000-30,000 crore in the next two years and the creation of about 5 lakh jobs.

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