Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 4: A delegation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Jammu, led by its President Rakesh Gupta, met Governor N N Vohra at the Civil Secretariat here today.
The delegation submitted a Pre-Budget Memorandum to the Governor and also apprised him about their various demands relating to Jammu Development Authority, Tourism, Revenue, Housing and Urban Development and Health Departments.
The Chamber projected demands which, interalia, included allotment of land for the establishment of a business club for the members of CCI; mortgage of shops allotted by JDA for the purpose of availing bank loans; regularization of shops in Nehru Market, Warehouse and Transport Nagar; execution of lease deeds in respect of the shops in Shiv Market Rail Head Complex, Jammu; conferring ownership rights at Prem Nagar,Vivekanand Chowk; waiver of interest on delayed payment made by the CCI in lieu of land allotted for the construction of Chamber House; withdrawal of Service Tax imposed on the heli service tickets purchased by pilgrims to the Vaishno Deviji and Amarnathji Yatras; up-gradation and professional handling of Machail Yatra, including introduction of heli services; development of Suchetgarh tourism circuit; identification of land to be made available to BSF for construction of Museum at Suchetgarh; reconstruction of JKTDC Board and nomination of Tourism Federation of Jammu representatives in various Boards and advisory committees of the State and the Central Government.
The delegation also urged the Governor for introducing simplified process for issuance of State subject certificates; allotting land for expansion of Jammu Airport; completion of STP for old city by National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC); full functioning of Super Speciality Hospital in Jammu; setting up of AIIMS at Jammu and Srinagar; and amendment in the prosecution procedures by the Drugs Control Department.
The Governor gave a patient hearing to the demands raised by the delegation and asked B.B Vyas, Financial Commisioner Planning and the other concerned officers present in the meeting to ensure time-bound action on the demands and suggestions made by the delegation.
A delegation of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), J&K State Council, headed by its Chairman, Sheikh Imran also met the Governor and briefed him about the efforts being made by CII in making J&K a preferred investment destination in the country.
The delegation also discussed with the Governor issues relating to other important sectors particularly IT, tourism, horticulture and agriculture.
The meeting was attended by Financial Commissioner, Planning & Development Department, B. B. Vyas, Principal Secretary to the Governor, P. K. Tripathi and Commissioner / Secretary, Industries & Commerce, Shailendra Kumar and other concerned senior officers.
The Governor was briefed by the delegation about J&K emerging as a possible destination for $5 billion Semiconductor Fab Mega Project, which has a potential to create over 50,000 jobs for skilled manpower in the State. The delegation presented a DPR to the Governor and explained the broad contours of the project, especially those related to the availability of land, roads & water supply, laying of optical fibre, power tariff on existing rates, besides arranging private equity of Rs. 7,000 crore to meet the requirement for implementing the project, which envisages making India a leading global provider of semi-conductors.
After discussions, the Governor asked B.B. Vyas to convene an early meeting with the stakeholders so that the issues are discussed threadbare.
The delegation also highlighted the immense potential of J&K in becoming a hub of Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) ecosystem if right impetus is provided to the IT sector, which will then open up employment opportunities for our skilled human resource.
For this, the delegation suggested link up of ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) and better synergy between IT, Technical and Higher Education Departments. CII also stressed upon the need to establish ‘ESDM Cells’ in each ITI that could start from training-cum-skills and later navigate to domain-specific start-up business ventures at our State Universities, Science Colleges and Government Polytechnics.
The Governor emphasized institutional linkup between CII and J&K EDI. He also stressed educational institutions being connected by use of smart classrooms for better teaching.
While briefing the Governor about challenges and opportunities for J&K in the tourism sector, the delegation reiterated the need to declare tourism as an industry, enabling the principal stakeholders to avail the benefits under the ‘Package of Incentives’ extended to industrial units. It also highlighted the need for developing new tourist circuits and destinations besides earmarking sufficient Land Bank for creating ‘Tourism Estates’ with integrated facilities that provide fillip to the hospitality and services sectors, which are critical to the promotion of travel industry in the state.
The delegation also presented to the Governor a copy of the MoU it has signed with Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore to undertake study on ‘Ease of Doing Business’. The delegation suggested a tripartite MoU involving the State Government – CII – LKY School for a similar Master Plan for J&K.
The delegation also demanded a crop insurance scheme for farmers and fruit growers in proportion to the market valuation of their produce.
The Governor was also briefed about the rehabilitation project being carried out by CII in Bandipora in which it is constructing 380 lavatories for poorest of the poor in 10 of the worst-affected villages in the district.
The Governor listened to the issues raised by the delegation and asked Mr. Vyas to ensure time-bound action on the suggestions made by the CII.
The CII delegation comprised Rahul Sahai, Raju Chaudhary, Vicky Mahajan, Anil Mahajan, Varun Singla and Khurshid Maqbool Dar.
Daleep Thusu, MD, J&K Projects Construction Corporation Limited (JKPCC) briefed Governor about to-date status of the 176 important works which are being executed by the Corporation on behalf of the various departments/agencies of the State Government.
The Governor also reviewed the to-date progress in respect of the roads which connect the upcoming Super Speciality Hospital, being established at Kakryal by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, with NH-1A at Jhajjar Manthal; up-gradation of approach road from Railway Station Katra to University via Nangal; and upgradation of approach road from the Highway to Panthal via Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University.
The Governor stressed the need to ensure against delay in the time bound completion of all the projects undertaken by the JKPCC and noted the need to early review the funding of the ongoing projects which involve an estimated cost of Rs.3200 crore.
Dr. Pradeep Kumar Sharma, Vice Chancellor, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST)-Jammu also met Governor.
Dr. Sharma briefed the Governor, who is the Chancellor of the University, about several important matters relating to the functioning of the University.
The Governor asked Dr. Sharma to personally pursue and ensure against delay in the early establishment of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) which have already been sanctioned for the Jammu region. He also advised him to identify all required measures which would need to be taken in view of the forecasts that there may be drought conditions in the coming summer, and implement them timely in close co-ordination with the State Agricultural Department. He advised the VC to monitor this matter personally and keep him informed.
S.M. Sahai, ADGP CID (designate) also met Governor N.N. Vohra at the Raj Bhavan here today.
The Governor spoke to Mr. Sahai about several important matters relating to the maintenance of peace and security in the State.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
