Kishtwar, June 3: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) on Saturday said that Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar will become North India’s major “power hub” generating around 6,000 MW of power after the completion of the ongoing power projects.
Dr Jitendra Singh, who was scheduled to address two public rallies at Nagseni and Dachhan respectively, cancelled both rallies as a mark of respect to the victims of the tragic train accident in Odisha and instead convened a detailed meeting to review the progress of various hydroelectric power projects in the Kisthwar and Doda districts. NHPC Chairman Rajiv Vishnoi, Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Devansh Yadav and officials of Central and UT governments updated the Minister about the progress of the projects.
Later, Dr Jitendra Singh also visited the remote, far-flung and hilly region of Dachhan. Former J&K Minister Sunil Sharma, DDC Members, local PRI representatives and prominent political leaders and others accompanied him during the visit.
The union minister said the surplus power from Kishtwar will not only be utilised for other parts of the UT but could also be availed by other States. He lamented that the rich natural resources of Chenab were not exploited by the previous governments which ruled J&K for 60 to 65 years
This, the minister said, makes the Kishtwar region a major power hub of North India. He also assured 100 percent reservation for locals in unskilled jobs for these projects and promised to give preference to local talent in skilled manpower requirements.
Dr Singh said that before 2014, road travel to Kishtwar was cumbersome and on the slightest landside, the Doda-Kishtwar road got blocked. But today, the road travel time from Jammu to Kishtwar has reduced from over 7 hours in 2014 to less than 5 hours now, he said, adding, “Similarly, during these 9 years, Kishtwar has come up on the Aviation Map of India and has been sanctioned an airport under Centre’s UDAAN Scheme, which nobody had ever imagined.”
He called upon the citizens to motivate the youth to avail maximum benefit of the startup avenues under the Aroma Mission which has already picked up in the neighbouring Bhaderwah and is seen as a hitherto unexplored source of livelihood.
Dr Singh said the areas with unexplored potential like Kishtwar, North-East and other hilly regions will play a pivotal role in the next 25 years of India’s journey. “These regions, rather than the saturated states, will propel India as a frontline nation in the world when it celebrates its 100th year of independence in 2047,” he said.
