Developing border belts vital for State’s balanced growth

Govt approves Rs.100 cr action plan under BADP

The State Level Screening Committee today approved Rs.100-crore Action Plan under Border Area Development Programme (BADP) for the year 2009-10.

The plan was approved in a meeting of the Committee, chaired by Chief Secretary, Mr. S. S. Kapur, at Srinagar today.

Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Sadakant, Financial Commissioner, Planning, Mr. S. L. Bhat, Director, Centre-Sponsored Sector, Planning Department, GoI, Mr. Ravi Kumar, Financial Commissioner, Home, Mr. Samuel Verghese, Principal Secretary, PHE, Mr. Ashok Angurana, Commissioner/Secretary, Health, Mr. Atal Dulloo, Commissioner/Secretary, R&B, Mr. Mehboob Iqbal, Commissioner/Secretary, Forest, Mr. Shant Manu, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Secretary, Rural Development, Mr. M. S. Khan, Secretary, Education, Mr. G. A. Peer, Chief Engineers of BEACON and SAMPAK, besides Deputy Commissioners of border districts were present in the meeting.

Asking the executing agencies complete flagship programmes in border areas of the State, the Chief Secretary said completion of projects on time will go a long way in realizing government’s resolve of equitable and balanced development of the State. He said schemes launched under BADP could supplement ongoing development projects in these areas and stressed that spillover works should be completed on priority before taking up new projects.

The Chief Secretary said people in these areas yearn for potable water, roads, healthcare, power and educational facilities for which a concerted effort is required to ensure extension of these basic amenities.

While reviewing the progress made under BADP during the last financial year, it was given out that out of Rs. 147 crore outlay, including Rs.42 crore spillover of the year 2007-08, an amount of Rs. 116 crore was spent under various welfare and development schemes in 40 border blocks of the State for augmenting road connectivity, health and education, besides other facilities. It was also stated that under Model Village Scheme, Rs. 5.25 crore were spent on development of model villages in various border blocks.

Similarly, Rs. 1.72 crore were expended on construction of Land Custom Stations at Chakan-da-bagh, Poonch and Salamabad, Uri.

Similarly, Gulmarg-Asha road-length of 13.8 km, Payarpur-Jagtial-Safawali and Gali-Guthomdori road-length of 30 km and various other road projects have been taken up under the programme and which are under various stages of completion.

The meeting was informed that 56 school-buildings, 22 health structures, 336 lanes and drains, 132 road links, 48 Primary Health Centres and 29 water- supply schemes have been completed under the programme.

The Chief Secretary asked for framing additional plans so that check-dams, road connectivity and electricity in border pockets of the State could be further augmented.