The dream of an artificial lake in Jammu will now be fulfilled soon. On Tuesday, the State Administrative Council (SAC) in Srinagar, under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, approved the revised project for the construction of the remaining works of the Tawi barrage at the cost of Rs 73.34 crore. This project will have to be completed by the contractor in 10 months after the e-tender.
The proposed barrage on the Tawi River is one of the three sub-projects of the prestigious artificial lake project. It is for recreational activities like boating and water sports to promote regional tourism in Jammu. Apart from this, the motive was also to make Jammu city beautiful. The other two sub-projects were the Tawi River Development Project and beautification and mobilization of tourism facilities. These were to be completed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Tourism.
The project was initially approved to be completed in 2010-11 at Rs 70 crore. Under this, the project was supported by raising funds from various sources for the construction of the artificial lake, but due to the inaction of the contractor, the project was stalled for seven years. Due to this, the tender was cancelled, and then its cost increased.
Now the administrative council has approved the revised project. It will be completed through e-tender at an estimated cost of Rs 131.53 crore within ten months from the date of allotment. There is an additional fund of 73.34 crores, while Rs 58.19 crores have already been spent. The Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan and Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta and Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor Nitishwar Kumar were present in the meeting.
The completion of the artificial lake project will boost water recreation and sports facilities apart from promoting commercial activities around the artificial lake. This will create employment opportunities for the local people, and the lake will attract tourists to the city of Jammu.
