Jammu, Sep 27: In a move to address the long-pending demand of displaced Kashmiri Pandit families, the government has launched an extensive repair and renovation programme across migrant camps in Jammu, covering more than 200 building blocks and around 5,000 flats, besides community halls and other common facilities.
An official said on Sunday that the comprehensive works mark the first repair and renovation initiative of such magnitude in the migrant camps, many of which, including Jagti and other locations in Jammu, were established primarily between 2004 and 2011 under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Programme.
Migrant families residing in these camps had for long been seeking comprehensive repairs, renovation and improvement of basic infrastructure as the buildings and common facilities aged and required substantial intervention.
Relief and Rehabilitation (Migrants), J&K, Arvind Karwani, who inspected the ongoing developmental works in Jagti and Nagrota migrant camps along with a team of senior officers, emphasised upon conducting a structural audit of all buildings and instructed to ensure good quality of works in due consultation with the public and concerned camp commandants.
Karwani said the Public Works Department (Roads and Buildings) has initiated major repair and renovation works across migrant camps in Jammu, covering more than 200 building blocks, around 5,000 flats, community halls and other common facilities.
Besides the department has formulated a comprehensive project for development of internal roads and lanes, development of parks and face lifting of all migrant schools, health dispensaries and Sub-District Hospital Jagti, he said.
The government has recently accorded administrative approval involving financial implications of Rs 82.45 crore for undertaking these works.
During the visit, the relief and rehabilitation commissioner reviewed the status of basic amenities like safe drinking water, power supply and sanitation in the camps and instructed the officers of the Jal Shakti Department to take all requisite measures to ensure uninterrupted water supply in the camps and press adequate water tanker supply in the operation to supplement the water shortage as and when required.
For long term solution, the Jal Shakti Department has conceived a major project with tentative financial implication of about Rs 10 crore for augmentation of the water supply in Jagti township.
Karwani emphasised upon conducting of water quality tests at frequent intervals to ensure clean and hygienic drinking water supply to the camp residents.
The Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) involving financial implications of about Rs 11.5 cr have been finalised for migrant camps in Nagrota, Muthi-Buta Nagar and Purkhoo, on the lines of similar STP functional at Jagti township and work will commence shortly.
The official said the tender formalities for construction of multi-purpose community halls in all migrant camps involving about Rs 20 cr are in final stages. This infrastructure is envisaged to provide space for self help groups especially women SHGs, library facility for students and promotion of culture and heritage.
Regarding extension of social sector schemes to the migrants, Karwani said nearly 3,000 families have availed benefits of social sector schemes, subsequent to the digitization and integration of the migrant ration cards into the national database.
The next round of outreach camps is starting from September 30 at various locations in Jammu to disseminate awareness and facilitation in filling of online applications about various social sector and welfare schemes, self employment and skill development schemes of the government, he said.
He said senior officers of the relief organization were directed to ensure weekly visits in the camps assigned to them and take stock of all development works and grievances of the camp inmates, including those related to immovable properties in Kashmir Valley.
The officers were also directed to supervise door-to-door campaign launched to reach out to all potential eligible beneficiaries of social sector and welfare schemes and facilitate them with documentation and filling of online applications for these schemes, he said.
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