J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti calls for preservation of green spaces at urban centres

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today called for a proper preservation of green spaces at the urban centres and directed a time-bound completion of the ongoing projects in the state.

She said this while chairing a review meeting of the Housing and Urban Development Department here, said an official spokesman.

He added that Mehbooba directed the department to ensure that the green spaces were fenced and protected, so that they could be used appropriately in the future.

She asked the department not to be "selective" in its anti-encroachment drive and to get the retrieved land properly fenced at the earliest, said the spokesman.

The chief minister directed the municipalities and urban local bodies to ensure availability of rest rooms, bus stops and garbage disposal spots in the cities and towns under their jurisdiction.

Mehbooba asked the department to raise only those structures which were "demand-driven", could be properly maintained and which could gel with the local architectural patterns.

She was informed at the meeting that projects worth Rs 593 crore would be implemented in the state under the Centre's AMRUT scheme in the next four years.

The 74 projects, 71 of which have been tendered out, would be executed in Jammu and Srinagar cities, besides the towns of Anantnag, Leh and Kargil, said the spokesman.