Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha last Tuesday laid the foundation stone of the Jhelum Riverfront beautification project on the banks of the river in Srinagar.
The project being implemented under the Srinagar Smart City project costs Rs 75 crore; the two km road from Zero Bridge to Amira Kadal is expected to be completed by the end of this year. LG Manoj Sinha while speaking at the launch of the project said that the J&K administration plans to develop the Jhelum river on the lines of Sabarmati Riverfront under the Smart City project, which includes beautiful river banks, modern public amenities and state of the art green space. Besides, the redevelopment of the Polo View Road as a pedestrian walkway to provide a better environment and shopping experience is also an important part of the Jhelum Riverfront project.
The riverfront development project is expected to boost tourism and inland water transport in the historically important Jhelum, which originates from south Kashmir and traverses through central and north Kashmir before finally flows into the Wular in Bandipora district. Although a number of projects have been undertaken so far to resume water transport in the Jhelum river and make its banks more attractive, but no results have been forthcoming. People are welcoming the move to develop Jhelum under the Smart City project and have urged the administration to complete the project in a time bound manner.
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