JAMMU, FEBRUARY 22 (KNO) : Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh today said that the achievements registered by the coalition government during last three years under various sectors have changed the developmental narrative in the state. The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking at a meeting convened to discuss the developmental initiatives undertaken by the government and to discuss the suggestions and issues put forth by different quarters. Minister for Forests, Ch Lal Singh, Minister for Health & Medical Education, Bali Bhagat, Minister for Industries & Commerce, Chander Prakash Ganga, Minister of State for Tourism and Education, Priya Sethi, Minister of State for Planning and Finance Ajay Nanda, Vice Chairman, OBC Board Rashpal Verma, Legislators, Sat Paul Sharma, Rajesh Gupta and several prominent citizens of Jammu attended the meeting. While enumerating the achievements registered in different sectors, the Deputy Chief Minister said these are monumental and speak about the endeavor of both central and state to usher an era of developmental activities in the state, which were otherwise not been taken on a war footing basis. He said that the necessary funds are being made available to the executing agencies so that they do not face any inconvenience and the works are completed within the stipulated time lines, which would take ages to complete in the previous regimes. Dr Singh while referring to the steps being undertaken for development of tourism in Jammu region said that the Prime Ministers development package envisions for the holistic development of the tourism and the focus is also on ensuring that the Jammu division comes up as one of the major destinations of the pilgrimage tourism in the country. He said that the efforts are also on for bringing unexplored areas on the tourism map. “This would go a long way in promoting the tourism in the Jammu division, which would in turn gives a fillip to the economy of the areas by way of generating job opportunities to the people related with tourist activities”, he maintained. While referring to the Prestigious Tawi River Front project, Dr Singh said that a 3.5 km of the total 10 km length is being taken up for development in the first phase which envisages construction of protection works, water treatment plants, development of reclaimed land into recreational areas and development of tourist facilities along the banks of the River Tawi. He said that that the necessary instructions have been passed to ensure fast tracking the implementation of the project in order to achieve the project objectives within the set timelines. Regarding progress on Smart City project in Jammu, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the officials have been asked to prioritize works after proper assessment of the need and requirement of the project. “Jammu city has a rich history of political, social and economic activities and government is endeavoring to elevate its stature which can be achieved through showcasing and preserving its heritage and at same time developing it as a modern city” Dr Singh maintained. He said that projects like Tawi River Development Front, development of heritage sites including Mubarak Mandi Royal Complex, construction of rope way project across River Tawi uptoMahamaya Temple would go a long way in showcasing Jammu globally. The Ministers present on the occasion also gave a brief of the work being done by their departments and said that the necessary directions stand passed to the concerned to ensure that the developmental initiatives are completed within the stipulated time lines, so that people do not face any inconvenience.(KNO)