Jammu, Sept 30: To present to the incoming visitors to Jammu and Kashmir, a beautiful gateway with modern amenities of tax collection and eating and entertainment, state Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed last evening laid the foundation stone of the prestigious excise and sales tax complex at Lakhanpur in Kathua district of Jammu Division. Estimated to cost Rs.28.96 crore, the complex will be completed within two years and it will have an entertainment hall, trauma centre, driver shed, frisking centre, godowns, dhabas and kiosks.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that due to 13 years of militancy, people from outside Jammu and Kashmir were unwilling to visit the state. But now the situation is gradually normalizing and tourists have started coming to the state, he said.

Lakhanpur being the gateway of J&K, needs to be re-developed in such a way that could cast a captivating spell on the tourists, mufti said adding that this complex would serve this purpose. Sayeed stressed the need for creating more entertainment facilities with aesthetic sense in the complex so that the tourists on entering the gateway get a good feel of the state.

He asked the authorities to ensure that the complex is completed within 15 months.

Bureau Report