Mufti indicates shelving of Jammu Lake project

Chief Minister Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed today hinted at shelving of the previous NC-Congress government's artificial lake project in Jammu, saying it is not "feasible".
"As for as lake project is concerned, I will tell you, economically and technically, it is not feasible", Mufti told reporters during an informal interaction at his official residence here.
Mufti, who was flanked by Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh and Minister of State Information Priya Sethi, said, "Water flow is not like that of Chenab or Ravi rivers. It will take one year to fill and that is not feasible but you can undertake landscaping of the river banks."

"We will undertake landscaping of banks of river Tawi and make it attractive. People will go there and sit in the gardens that we proposed to set up," he further added.
Keeping with popular demand, the previous government had conceived the Rs 75 crore project on river Tawi. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had laid the foundation stone for the project on December 6, 2009.
On March 19, state Agriculture Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone on the behalf of chief minister, had told the Legislative Council on a question about the development of the artificial lake, that the project with an estimated cost of Rs 69.70 cr has been taken up by the Irrigation and Flood Control department during 2010-11.

"An amount of Rs 57 cr has been released and spent till date, against which 85 per cent of civil works and 80 per cent of mechanical works have been completed," he had said.

On the issue of AIIMS project in Jammu, however, the BJP and PDP seemed to be speaking in different voices, with Mufti saying he does not see Jammu and Kashmir with different yardsticks whiel Nirmal Singh said they were in touch with Centre over the issue.
Mufti said, "I see Jammu and Kashmir is one entity. It is in our agenda for alliance that Kashmir will be given an AIIMS and Jammu will get IIT and IIM. We will give money for super-speciality hospital in Jammu to strengthen it."

Virtually turning down the demand for AIIMS in Jammu, the Chief Minister said, "Whatever we have done... We have done with the broad mind, if we have given AIIMS to Kashmir, Kashmir is part of the Jammu and Kashmir. I do not see Jammu and Kashmir with different yardsticks."
Hitting out at Congress for not setting up AIIMS in Jammu during last 12 years of their rule, Mufti said, "Why they are raking this issue.