Govt committed to making Jammu a tourist destination: PDP leader

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 5

Senior leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Vikramaditya Singh today said the coalition government headed by Mehbooba Mufti was committed to developing Jammu as an independent tourist destination.

He said the government had already taken a number of steps to explore tourism potential in the Jammu region.

In a statement issued here today, Vikramaditya Singh said the decision of the state government to complete Birpur-Utterbeni road was a step in this direction.

Singh expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Minister, Abdul Rehman Veeri, for undertaking the completion of the road. This 23-km stretch of road connects Jammu with pilgrimage and tourist sites of Purmandal and Utterbeni.

Owing to public resentment, Vikramaditya Singh had been constantly following up on this matter with the higher authorities and had even raised questions in the State Assembly inquiring about the progress of this road. In his last meeting with the Chief Minister at her residence on November 18, he had stressed the need to repair and restore better connectivity to these historic pilgrim sites as it was part of late Mufti Mohammad Sayed’s stated agenda to develop Jammu into an independent tourist destination. He said the public had greatly appreciated this quick and prompt follow up action by the Chief Minister.

Singh further hoped that with the completion of this road, this entire belt from Birpur to Utterbeni would be developed as one of the famous pilgrimage in the country. He added that Purmandal and Utterbeni religious places had their own importance and connectivity of these two pilgrim centres would improve the socio-economic conditions of the residents of this belt.