BANDIPORA: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, on Saturday chaired a comprehensive review meeting with the district administration of Bandipora to assess the ongoing development works and the status of Centrally Sponsored and UT Sector schemes in the district.

The meeting, held at the Mini Secretariat Bandipora, was attended by Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Manzoor Ahmad Qadri, SSP Bandipora Harmeet Singh and other district and sectoral officers.

On the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner presented a detailed overview of the district's developmental status, covering key sectors such as health, education, power, tourism, agriculture, rural development and water supply.

The Chief Secretary emphasized mission-mode implementation of schemes by the departments like Power, Education, Health, Agriculture, Horticulture and Tourism. He directed the officials to accelerate the infrastructure works to improve the overall ease of living for the citizens.

He also stressed on effective implementation of Centrally and UT Sponsored Schemes, including the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), promotion of cooperatives, PMAY and saturation of healthcare schemes, with a particular focus on achieving the set targets under different schemes.

During his visit, Atal Dulloo laid foundation stones for several key projects worth ₹805 lakh, including construction of a 100-bedded ST/G&B hostel and a district veterinary hospital at Bandipora.

As part of the review, the Chief Secretary was also briefed on the District Capex Plan 2025-26, under which a total allocation of ₹41 crore has been earmarked for Bandipora. This included ₹10 crore under DDC grants, ₹3 crore under BDC grants, ₹25 crore under PRI grants, ₹2 crore for Aspirational Block Development and ₹1.2 crore for Aspirational Panchayat Development. The plan encompasses 483 works under DDC grants (including 139 spillovers), 107 under BDC grants (30 spillovers) and 1,488 under PRI grants (579 spillovers).

In addition, projects worth ₹1.86 crore in the health sector and ₹2.85 crore in elementary education are under execution, with ₹1.04 crore available for new initiatives under the Aspirational Block schemes.

During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner highlighted several key issues, including the need for human resource and infrastructure augmentation at the District Hospital Bandipora and the road widening of the Sumbal-Bandipora stretch.

The Chief Secretary called for improved departmental coordination, timely submission of pending estimates and proactive measures to resolve the execution bottlenecks, especially in remote and difficult terrains of the district.

Atal Dulloo underscored the importance of community participation and emphasized strict adherence to transparency, quality control and public accountability in project execution.

Later, the Chief Secretary interacted with the delegations comprising civil societies, trade unions, tribal representatives, NYCs and youth groups, assuring them of time-bound redressal of their grievances and developmental concerns.

Earlier, Atal Dulloo, accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner, inspected various departmental stalls set up on the occasion.

Among others, Chief Planning Officer, Executive Engineers from R&B, PHE, PDD, and officials from the Departments of Tourism, Health, Education, Agriculture, Horticulture, Social Welfare and Rural Development were present during the day-long proceedings.