Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam participated in ‘Back to Village’ Program here on Monday, during his 2-day extensive visit to district Bandipora.
The Chief Secretary visited Kanzalwan, Badwan, Wanpora andKhandyal Panchayats and interacted with elected representatives and locals.
He spent half-a-day in Panchayat Wanpora, attended GramSabha and interacted with Panchs and Sarpanchs.
Principal Secretary, Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Dr AsgarHassan Samoon, Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza,Superintendent of Police Rahul Malik and other senior officers of the districtwere also present.
Appreciating the concept of the Program, people welcomed theinitiative of the Government in bringing governance to the grassroots level.
During the interactions, a number of demands were put forthfor consideration of the Government including those related to construction ofroads and bridges, construction of tunnel for keeping Bandipora-Gurez road openround the year, arrangements for winters, availability of ration, issues withregard to rehabilitation of people displaced by construction of dam,establishment of SBI branches in Tulail and Gurez, employees issues,reservation, healthcare facilities construction of bunkers and creation of jobavenues.
In his remarks, the Chief Secretary observed that the Backto Village Program was aimed at energising and strengthening Panchayats anddirecting development efforts in rural areas through community participation.
He said the feedback obtained from the visiting officerswill be valuable to assess the development needs, analyse the economicpotential of the villages/hamlets and to tailor areas specific governmentschemes/programs.
The Chief Secretary said that areas like Gurez have huge tourismpotential, adding Government was actively considering establishment of GurezTourism Development Authority that will help in creation of tourisminfrastructure albeit in a planned and eco-friendly manner to harness tourismpotential of the area while maintaining its pristine glory.
He said several important development projects were atvarious stages of completion which include Khandyal-Bandipora road. It willconsiderably reduce distance between Bandipora and Gurez.
The Chief Secretary said the Government was planning to makea special tourist corridor to connect Ladakh with Gurez, Tangdhar and otherborder areas of the state.
While responding to grievances with regard to theKishenganga Hydroelectric Power Project (KHEP), the Chief Secretary said Governmentwill examine the issue further.
He said improvement of power supply in Gurez will remainunder focused attention of the Government. At Wanpora, the Chief Secretary distributed poultry birds among severalbeneficiaries under National Livelihood Mission.