Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) and Information, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali, today laid foundation of Eco-Park at Kandi and Multipurpose Indoor Sports Stadium at Koteranka in Rajouri district.The Multipurpose Indoor Sports Stadium being executed by Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) at Koteranka will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore in 18 months time which would act as a major sports hub in the region.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that sports is an integral part of personality development and given the vast potential among youth of the region this state-of-art facility will help in grooming budding sportsmen of the region so that they can compete at national and international levels. He also asked the district administration to come up with a plan so that a wrestling academy at Koteranka can be set up to boost the overall sports activities.
Later, Zulfkar Ali laid foundation stone for Eco-Park which is a first tourism project under convergence mode in Rajouri district and is poised to become a major tourism destination in Pir Panchal region. The project has been planned by District Development Commissioner Rajouri Choudhary Zulfkar Ali with convergence of resources and expertise of Rajouri Development Authority, Forest Department, Rural Development Department and Agriculture Department. Spread over an area of 276 kanals, the Eco-Park will be developed and developed at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore in 6-8 months.The Minister was also briefed by the DDC Rajouri about the tourism development plan to augment the tourism infra in the district. The project envisages Farm Tourism, Eco-Tourism, Botanical Garden, Flower Garden, Children’s Park and construction of a Hill Resort to attract more tourists to the district.
Zulfkar Ali complimented the district administration for coming up with innovative projects through dovetailing of funds in a very short span of time which will go a long way in promoting tourism in the area and also help in providing flip to the economic status of locals. He also appreciated the district administration for promptly providing more than 20 Kanals of land to Government Higher secondary school Kandi for the construction of sports stadium and playfield.District Development Commissioner Dr. Shahiq Iqbal Choudhary, Director FCS&CA Rashid Azam Inqlabi, SSP Yougal Manhas, ACD Noor Alam, CEO RDA Showkat Malik, SE PWD, Executive Engineers, DFOs, besides district and sectoral officers accompanied the Minister.Earlier in a review meeting, the Minister said that the Government is mulling to establish 10 LPG gas agencies each in Rajouri and Poonch districts and also an LPG Bottling Plant and Petroleum Depot in Rajouri. He also asked Deputy Commissioners of the twin districts to identify and acquire the required land for the installations which have a great potential for economic uplift of the region. The Minister stated this in a meeting held to review the functioning of Food, Civil Services and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Legal Metrology Department (LMD) and Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) in Rajouri and Poonch districts.