9 SWM facilities in Kashmir, Polo View market inaugurated
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 12: Lt Governor Manoj Sinha today said that the markets in Srinagar will soon resemble those in metro cities, after inaugurating the Polo View Market, redeveloped under the Smart City project.
“The Polo View market has been redesigned under the Smart City project. The electric wires and telecom fiber have all been laid underground. The market can be kept open even during the night,” Sinha told reporters.
The shopping centre known for handicrafts and handloom products has been transformed into a premium pedestrian market by Srinagar Smart City Limited.
“The endeavour to make Srinagar look like Delhi, Chandigarh, or other big cities is on. The people who have come here would have felt that they were in Delhi or Mumbai and not in Srinagar. You will get to see many more markets like this in the coming days,” he added.
Sinha said the locals face difficulties wherever infrastructure projects are taken up, but the traders cooperated with the authorities.
“I express gratitude to the traders who cooperated. I am sure it will increase the business here. This is just a start, and in the days to come, the Smart City project will develop many such markets at Residency Road, Lal Chowk,” he said.
The LG also visited the temple at Abi Guzar that was renovated recently.
Later in the day, Sinha inaugurated nine solid waste management facilities and other developmental projects of Urban Local Bodies in the Kashmir.
“These projects were executed on modern scientific lines under Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), the Flagship scheme of Government of India,” he said.
“Acting upon the clarion call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the urban areas Garbage Free, the Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir geared up for establishment of facilities for Scientific disposal of waste. Besides, financial support & regular reviews by the J&K Government has enabled the Urban Local Bodies to proceed ahead in this direction,” he said.
An Action Plan for establishment of Solid Waste Management for 40 ULBs of Kashmir division was approved by the Government on 17.10.2022 for an amount of Rs. 239.74 crore for the total waste of 456 tonnes generated per day.
“Nine Solid Waste Management facilities, with a cost of Rs. 12.79 crore have been completed in the ULBs of Achabal, Beerwah, Chadoora, Dooru-Verinag, Ganderbal, Qazigund, Shopian, Sumbal and Tangmarg/ Kunzer and have been inaugurated today which will process 40 tonnes of waste per day.”
Each facility has a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for dry waste which includes segregation of any mixed waste, bailing & shredding facilities. Besides, there are Compost Pits for processing of wet waste.
“Over the past some years, the Urban Local Bodies have been significantly empowered to function as units of Local Self Government. The institution of 74th Constitutional Amendment Act has further empowered the Urban Local Bodies on the developmental front to take up projects having vast public utilities and to create assets for strengthening resource base of the ULBs,” he said.
These projects include Shopping Complexes, Marriage Halls, Community Halls, Drainage networks, development of lanes, development of Bus Addas, macadamization of roads, construction of Slaughter houses, development of Public parks, office buildings/Town halls etc.
“Sixteen such developmental projects costing Rs. 21.55 Crore have been inaugurated today and dedicated to the public. Further, the implementation of some flagship schemes like SBM (U), AMRUT, PMAY-U, PM SVANidhi etc. further gave the ULBs an opportunity to widen the dimensions of their developmental activities and beneficiary oriented programmes,” he added.
H Rajesh Prasad, Principal Secretary Housing & Urban Development Department gave a detailed overview of the projects inaugurated today.
Mathora Masoom, Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir informed about the ongoing projects for the development of urban areas of the region.
Junaid Azim Mattu, Mayor SMC; Vijay Kumar, ADGP Kashmir; Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Athar Amir Khan, Commissioner SMC and CEO Srinagar Smart City; ULB members, senior officials and prominent citizens were present.
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