DC Kathua inspects arrangements for Amarnath Ji Yatra  at Lakhanpur

Convenes meeting with District Development Council members 

KATHUA, MAY 16: Deputy Commissioner Kathua, Rakesh Minhas today visited Lakhanpur to review the arrangements being put in place for upcoming Amarnath Ji Yatra-2023.

The DC was accompanied by SSP, Shivdeep Singh Jamwal; Registrar Kathua (Nodal Officer), Suresh Chander; CPO, Uttam Singh. He  inspected the area earmarked for reception of yatris and other civic amenities made available for the pilgrims at  Lakhanpur entry point.

The DC directed EO Lakhanpur Municipal Committee to ensure necessary repair and made all toilet complexes under its jurisdiction functional before the start of the yatra. He also directed XEN PWD to take up Blacktopping/ Pothole repair work on Lakhanpur corridor and complete it in a time bound manner. 

The DC Rakesh Minhas laid thrust on taking all necessary steps by concerned departments so as to make the experience of yatris at Lakhanpur corridor hassle free and pleasant. He said “every effort shall be made to make Lakhanpur facilitation centre a multi-facility hub to cater all needs of incoming Yatris/Devotees”.

While referring to the innovative steps taken by the district administration, the DC informed that slew of measures such as augmented lodging facilities for 7500 yatris/per day, 06 RFID counters for registration, neat and clean lavatories besides arrangements for entertainment of yatris at Lakhanpur will be taken care of through dedicated channels to provide a seamless experience to the yatris, 

Earlier, DC Kathua had maiden interaction with the members of District Development Council at DDC office Lakhanpur.

On the occasion, DDC Chairperson, Mahan Singh said the district has achieved remarkable progress in the last fiscal year and expressed hope that PRIs and District Administration will work in tandem to make Kathua among the top performing districts of J&K UT.

The DC expressed hope that with the cooperation of elected PRIs coupled with their rich field experience will pave the way for achieving development targets earmarked for the district as per the popular aspirations of the people. He said the District administration will make concerted efforts with PRIs to improve its standing on Good Governance Index parameters.

The DC also underlined the need to focus on important sectors of health and school education wherein he urged the meeting to come forward and make concerted efforts to reduce Infant Mortality Rate besides maintaining good teacher-pupil ratio through staff rationalization as these two sectors hold special significance for holistic development.

On the occasion, the District Development Council submitted a memorandum of demands and urged for early resolution on the listed matters. They also expressed hope that District Administration and PRIs will make joint efforts to meet the popular aspirations of the district populace besides giving due consideration to vox populi of the peripheral regions of the district. 

Vice Chairman DDC Raghunandan Singh and other members of District Development Council Kathua were also present.