District Development Board (DDB) Kathua which met here today under the Chairmanship of Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sham Lal Choudhary approved Rs.161.48 crore for the year 2016-17 for Kathua district.Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Nirmal Singh, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Choudhary Lal Singh, Member Parliament Shamsher Singh Manhas, Vice Chairman Schedule Caste Advisory Board Bhushan Dogra, Vice chairman Kissan Advisory Board D S Chib, MLA Kathua Rajeev Jasrotia, MLA Hiranagar Kuldeep Raj, MLA Bani Jeevan Lal, District Development Commissioner Romesh Kumar, Member Gujjar and Bakerwal Advisory Board besides Heads of various departments were present in the meeting.Choudhary, who is also chairman of the DDB Kathua, took comprehensive review of the achievements registered under last year district plan. The Chairman while reviewing the performance of various departments directed the officers to ensure that the funds earmarked for different schemes are judiciously utilized. He said different departments should work in close coordination and synergy so that the bottlenecks, if any, can be removed and the schemes are implemented within the shortest possible time.
Sham Choudhary also stressed on the conservation and preservation of water bodies so as to contain the falling water table and said that our main focus in this regard should be the preservation of ponds as water conservation holds the key for the development of any area. He called for identifying land for check dams in catchment areas so that flood water can be utilized for irrigation purpose. He also exhorted upon the officers to consult the concerned MLAs while planning the development projects/ schemes of their respective departments.During the meeting, Sham Choudhary stressed for improvement of PHE and Irrigation facility in the Kathua district, particularly in Kandi, hilly and water stressed areas. He directed concerned engineers to conceive WSS and irrigation projects in the district in consultation with public representatives. He further directed the officers to fix targets as per the proposed outlay in the Annual Plan, so that the targets are achieved in full, adding that area specific planning and implementation of schemes is vital for development.Reiterating Government’s resolve to make Kathua one of the model districts of the State, the Minister said that several new initiatives are in pipeline for ensuring overall development of the district.
Asking the officers to put in extra dedicated efforts to ensure the targets are achieved within the time frame, the Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Nirmal Singh said that adequate funds under PDD sector have already been provided for installation of street lights, poles and wires in the uncovered areas of the district.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that Government has already issued directions for immediate up-gradation of all roads in Kathua in particular Kathua-Basohli-Billawar road to improve access to Ranjit Sagar Dam, which the Government is promoting as an independent water-sports destination.
During the DDB meet legislators highlighted various demands for development and beautification of Kathua district.Member Parliament, Shamsher Singh asked the district administration to work in coordination to ensure effective implementation of various state and centrally sponsored schemes.Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman assured that issues raised by the local representatives will be addressed on priority.Earlier, the DDC gave a detailed resume of the achievements of last year’s plan through power point presentation. He said that against the availability of Rs. 162.18 crore, Rs. 157.48 crore was spent on various development works there by registering 97.10% achievement in expenditure during the financial year 2015-16. Financial achievements under capex budget 2015-16 of various departments were also thoroughly discussed.