Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said he had convinced the Army to vacate land for the expansion of the Jammu airport, which, he said, would be upgraded to international standards.
Sayeed stated this during the Question Hour in the Legislative Council (LC).
He further said the issue was discussed threadbare at the recent Civil Military Liaison meeting in which it was decided that the Army and the Civil Administration would exchange land, which would enable the execution of work on the expansion of the Jammu airport.
Elaborating further, Mufti said the Jammu airport was choked due to space constraints for which it needed immediate expansion to ensure safety and comfort of passengers. He said it had been his concern since 2002 and he would take up the matter with the Defence Minister so that the issue was settled expeditiously.
As per the government reply in the House, the delay in expansion of the Jammu airport was caused due to the acquisition of forest land for relocation of Army facilities and shifting of civil facilities from the proposed expansion area.
Meanwhile, Mufti said tourism in Jammu would also get a fillip once the 9-hole Sidhra golf course would be upgraded to 18-hole and commissioned later this year.
On the issue of casual appointments in government departments, the Chief Minister assured the House that the present government, ever since it took over the reins of power, had not appointed even a single person on an ad hoc basis. He admitted that unemployment was a real challenge for the government.
