Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday said the drive to evict illegal occupants of state land in Jammu and Kashmir will be resumed and the recovered land used to fuel the industrial revolution in the Union Territory.
“We took the lands. Let me make it clear that we will take back all state land. The state land must remain with the government,” Sinha said at the foundation-laying ceremony of the first FDI project in Jammu and Kashmir at Sempora here.
The Union Territory administration launched the eviction drive in January this year but had to stop it following protests.
Sinha said the retrieved land will be used for driving the industrial revolution and creating facilities for people.
“The big tracts of land will be given for setting up industry. The smaller plots will be used to create facilities like playfields. The small patches of land will be used as a burial ground for poor people who don’t even get land for last rites,” the LG said.
Laying the foundation stone for the Mall of Srinagar by Dubai’s EMAAR Group at Sempora, the LG congratulated the people of J&K on the historic occasion.
“This is a new dawn of limitless possibilities. We are taking forward PM Narendra Modi-ji’s vision for the development of J&K. Mall of Srinagar will have a transformative impact on UT and will boost infrastructure, employment generation, and ease of living,” he said.
Sinha said the Mall of Srinagar and allied projects with the Government of Dubai will fuel the economic growth of J&K and help in achieving the shared vision of strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties between India and the UAE.
“The credit for the strong ties between the UAE and India goes to the strenuous efforts of the Prime Minister,” he added.
The LG highlighted the reforms introduced to create a favorable environment for industries and businesses to flourish in J&K.
“Unprecedented industrial investment and economic growth of J&K is laying the foundation for a stronger and more prosperous future for the people of Union Territory,” he said.
“In the last three years, we have registered phenomenal growth in different sectors, and in terms of knowledge, physical and digital connectivity, Jammu and Kashmir has performed exceptionally well in the entire country,” the LG added.
The LG expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for the new industrial development scheme.
“Within 22 months of implementation of the New Industrial Policy, we have received investment proposals from more than 5000 domestic and foreign companies. Every day, eight companies have expressed their willingness to invest in J&K,” the LG said.
“A new industry is becoming operational in the UT every day. Last month, 45 industries started their operations,” he added.
“Hon’ble Prime Minister has already done the groundbreaking ceremony for projects worth Rs 38,000 crore. Those who raised questions on employment post-August 2019, should introspect about what they have done for J&K in the past decades. Only Rs 14,000 cr industrial investment came to J&K since independence till 2019,” said the LG.
The LG invited industry leaders from across the world to be a part of the “new industrial revolution of Jammu & Kashmir”.
“We have broadened the economic and social base of development and are offering the best incentives across the country, land for industries, skilled labor, technical support, market connectivity, national and international air cargo facilities, raw materials, cheapest power, lowest crime rate, single window clearance, ease of doing business,” he observed.
“One lakh crore rupees worth of highways and tunnels projects are going on in J&K UT. Kashmir will be connected to Kanyakumari this year. The flight operations in both Jammu & Srinagar airports have increased and international flight connectivity has been strengthened,” observed the LG.
“Today, peace is prevailing in Jammu & Kashmir. Days of ‘hartals’ (shutdowns) have become history now. World has witnessed the youth and people of Pulwama, Tral, Shopian coming out of their houses in huge numbers with national flags in their hands,” he noted.
Jammu &Kashmir has everything to offer to maximize the immense potential of the business. This decade belongs to Jammu & Kashmir, the LG said.
Amit Jain, CEO Emaar said “the Mall of Srinagar is one of our milestone projects and we are excited about its potential of it. As Emaar group, we bring along strong relationships with leading retail brands of UAE, most of which will be launching their presence in India through this initiative.”
It was informed that Emaar Group will develop one IT tower at Jammu and one at Srinagar.
The mega-mall is the first significant FDI investment in Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate investments in marquee projects as per the MOU signed between the governments of the UAE and India. Launched by Emaar and Magna Waves Buildtech, the mall is set to become operational by 2026.
In January 2022, during the Investor meet at Dubai, J&K Government entered into a bilateral agreement with various stakeholders and the Government of UAE to deliver over a billion dollars worth of projects in the valley. These projects include the development of industrial parks, a medical college, a specialty hospital, logistics centres, IT towers, and multipurpose towers, in addition to the Mall of Srinagar by Emaar.
