Div Com presides over Block Diwas at Kokernag

ANANTNAG: Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole Wednesday presided over the Block Diwas programme at Kokernag, here.
The Div Com was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag Dr Piyush Singla; DDC Member, Sagam Constituency, M Saleem Parray; BDC Larnoo, BDC Breng and senior officials from district administration.
Speaking on the occasion, Div Com said that all the issues put forth today have been noted by concerned officers and efforts will be made to redress the grievances in a time bound manner. He said that accountability and transparency has been bred into the system through the Block Diwas mechanism and he is hopeful that people will continue to utilise the platform for putting forth genuine grievances.
Pole said that issues crop up with new developments, but the spirit of Block Diwas is to provide a platform to people to communicate these issues to the concerned officials so that governance becomes more efficient.
The DC Anantnag said that Block Diwas is a forum of reducing the gap between PRIs, administrative officials and people. He said that 4000 works under district CAPEX works were completed with cooperation of PRIs.
He said that the plan under formulation for the present fiscal should be formulated as per local needs. He said that works should be discussed and included in the plans after discussion with all stakeholders. He said he is hopeful that visit by Div Com Kashmir will act as a beacon for further development of Kokernag.
DDC Member, M Saleem Parray said that Kokernag Gate was a demand of PRIs in a recent Block Diwas programme and the promptness with which the project has been taken up is worth appreciating. He said that the Lisser Grid should be augmented for better power supply. He said that the quota of PMAY should be enhanced so that more people can be provided affordable housing.
The DDC member said that the Kokernag Master plan imposes certain restrictions on construction activities and these should be reviewed. He said that beautification of Bringi Nallah should be taken up. He said a library cum reading room to facilitate aspirants of competitive exams should be set up.
Talking about staff availability at Bamdoora and Hiller PHCs, the DDC member said that while staff has been deputed at the centers but needs to be augmented in view of the area being covered.
BDC Larnoo Mumtaz Ali said that a single bank caters to the entire area and banking facilities need to be augmented in the area. He said that the quota under PMAY will be enhanced in the area.
BDC Breng Parveena Akhter and MC President MC Kokernag Sheikh Prince put forth local issues on the occasion. President MC said that X Ray and CT Scan facilities should be available at SDH. He said that land should be identified for development of a sports stadium. He also said that innovative water harvesting measures must be taken to reduce the burden on natural sources of water.
Haroon Khatana said that enhancement of infrastructure to attract tourists is necessary. He said that mobile connectivity issues in some far flung areas should also be taken up on priority.
Several delegations including Sarpanches put forth various issues regarding panchayat ghars, enhancement of public transport, settlement of land acquisition cases, Gondola project for Daksum, availability of timber, water supply issues, development under FC grants, technical deletions in PMAY and enhancement of AAY quota.
The Div Com gave a patient hearing to all the grievances and assured time bound redressal. He directed the officials present to ensure that all grievances received at Block Diwas are redressed in a time bound manner.
Pole also inaugurated several projects in Kokernag including 3 modern bus ports constructed at a cost of Rs 22 lakhs and a shopping complex with 18 shops, 2 halls and a restaurant constructed at a cost of Rs 1.7 crores. He also laid the foundation stone of Kokernag entry gate being developed under CSR/ He felicitated the eco guards and distributed appreciation certificates. Golden Cards were also distributed among beneficiaries on the occasion.
Prior to this, the Div Com visited Achabal. He participated in an urban sanitation drive organized by Municipal Council Achabal. He also interacted with officials from Municipal Council Achabal.
He was accompanied by Director ULB, ADDC Anantnag, BDC, Councillors and various sectoral officers.
The Div Com was informed about various works taken up in Achabal under FC Grants, My Town My Pride and other schemes. He said that a vending zone has been created and 69 vendors have been provided installments under PM SVANidhi. He said a town beautification plan is being prepared and will be taken up this year.
The Div Com felicitated various Eco Guards on the occasion and lauded their social contribution.
PRIs present on the occasion said that Achabal Chattabal Development Authority should be set up for focused development of Achabal and making it a prominent part of the Anantnag tourist circuit.
Appreciating the keen efforts being taken by the council for development of the area, he lauded the council for the cleanliness in the town area. He said that there are instances of road side littering in the area and people must be made aware of the importance of maintaining cleanliness.
He said the grievances raised by PRIs will be taken up with concerned quarters for redressal.
The Div Com laid the foundation stone of the Community Marriage Hall and a slaughter house at Achabal. The two projects, being constructed under FC Grants by MC Achabal, will be completed by March 2023 at an estimated cost of Rs 3.35 crores.
The Div Com stressed that the works must be completed prior to the stipulated timeline and said some appreciation mechanism will be worked out for agencies that complete projects before the expected timeline.