| Will take steps to strengthen cross-LoC trade, travel: Sayeed | | |  Early Times Report
BARAMULLA, May 16: Expressing sadness over the sluggish pace of cross-LoC ties that had a historic beginning in 2005 when the first bus travelled from Muzaffarabad to Srinagar, the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today resolved to take further his peace-building measures to bring people living across the Line of Control (LoC) closer to each other.
He praised former Prime Ministers of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, for realizing his dream of starting the trade and travel ties across the LoC.
"To make cross-LoC trade meaningful, we need to accede to the demand of the traders on both sides for making basic facilities like telecommunications and banking available. The wayside facilities and road up to Kaman Post has also to be improved and double-lanned, he stated.
The Chief Minister said this while interacting with people at Uri and Sheeri, as part of his on-spot tours for firsthand appraisal of several ongoing projects in North Kashmir district of Baramulla today.
He was flanked by Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Syed Basharat Bukhari, Minister for Public Works, Floriculture, Gardens & Parks, Syed Altaf Bukhari, MP and former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, MLA Rafiabad, Yawar Mir and MLA, Baramulla Javed Hassan Baig.
The Chief Minister also visited Pattan, Sangrama Kandi, Wagoora, Watergam, Tarzua, Uri, and Baramulla during his whirlwind tour.
Lamenting that the cross-LoC ties have stuck up since 2005, Mufti Sayeed assured that with the active support of the Central Government, the travel, trade and cultural relations across the LoC will flourish further.
Referring to his several initiatives for developing Uri as a Model Town, the Chief Minister announced uninterrupted power supply to the picturesque border parish. He also announced construction of a 100-bedded Girls Hostel, Bio-lavatories, filtration plant for potable drinking water, up-gradation of 60-km Zehampora-Shahdara Road, examining revival of historical Mohura Power House and double-lanning of Baramulla-Uri Road.
Dwelling on the recruitment policy that envisages appointment at district level to fast-track filling up of vacant posts especially in the health sector, the Chief Minister said it ensures stationing of doctors and paramedics in far-flung areas like Uri. "We want to fill up vacancies on a fast-track basis in a fair and transparent manner," he asserted. |
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