Over 300 kanals of land transferred for industrial estate in Pahalgam: Govt

Jammu, Mar 13: The Jammu and Kashmir government said over 300 kanals of land have been transferred to the Industries and Commerce Department for the establishment of an industrial estate in Pahalgam constituency.
Responding to a query from MLA Pahalgam Mohammad Altaf Wani, the concerned minister, said two patches of land, 192 kanals and 15 marlas for Phase-I and 119 Kanals for Phase-II at Hassannoor, Pahalgam, have been transferred.
“The details of both land patches have been uploaded on the Single Window Portal for further appraisal and allotment,” the minister said.
In Phase-I, the fencing work for the Industrial Estate Hassannoor was approved at a cost of Rs 132.36 lakh, with Rs 100 lakh already utilised, and the fencing completed. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has been entrusted with the overall development of the estate. Currently, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is under preparation. For Phase-II, developmental work is yet to begin.
The tentative completion period for Phase-I is expected to be fifteen months from the issuance of Administrative Approval (A/A) and Expenditure Sanction (E/S), he said.
Responding to MLA Syed Bashir Ahmad Veeri, the R&B minister said all major roads in Anantnag district possess the requisite width to handle the current traffic volume. However, traffic congestion is prevalent due to factors such as wrong parking, street vendors and occupation of footpaths by shopkeepers, he said.
“Traffic management is the responsibility of the Traffic Department. Infrastructure such as bypasses, dividers and rotaries has already been provided where necessary. In the Bijbehara and Srigufwara sections, wrong parking is a major contributor to traffic jams. Additionally, major congestion occurs at Khanabal Bridge and Ashajipora Bridge, where additional bridges are under construction—one under the CRIF and the other under the NABARD Sector,” the minister added.
He said the department is actively working to improve road conditions. “In the current financial year, 38 km of road length has been upgraded under various programs in Anantnag district. The Road Maintenance Policy of 2021 guides the maintenance and upgrading process to ensure smooth connectivity,” he said. “Additional repair works will be considered under the Capex budget 2025-26, depending on available resources.” (KNO)