Raja Syed Rather
Ganderbal, Dec 21: The work on the transit accommodations for Kashmiri Pandits at the Wandhama area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district is going on in full swing and four among them are likely to be ready by the December end.
The work started in 2019; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was halted and resumed months later.
An official from the R&B Department said that four buildings out of 12 buildings are almost complete, and will be ready by the end of the month.
“The work on other blocks is in full swing and will be completed within the established time frame,” he said.
“Each block is four-storeyed 4 four apartments on each floor, for a total of 16 apartments in each block. The transit camp, spread over 30 kanals of land, is expected to accommodate approximately 192 families. The cost of these buildings is approximately Rs 23.04 crore,” the official added.
According to reports, the Central government has provided jobs to approximately 4,500 Kashmiri Pandits in the valley through a special package announced in 2008. However, the government has taken a number of concrete steps toward the rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants in the valley.
The people and social activists in Ganderbal hailed the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Manoj Sinha for rehabilitating the Kashmiri Pandits.
Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Shyambir also visited the transit camp accommodation site in Wandhama for a first-hand assessment of the status of the work. He exhorted the executing agencies to expedite the progress of work by engaging more men and machinery so that work gets completed well before the stipulated time frame without compromising the quality of work.
