After missing one after another deadline, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday dedicated the Jambu Zoo to the public at Nagrotra-in the outskirts of Jammu city.
While inaugurating north India's biggest zoo, the Lieutenant Governor said, "This much-awaited addition to the tourist destinations of J&K UT, spread over 70 ha area, was taken up under the languishing project and it shall attract both local residents and tourists visiting Union Territory".
Interestingly foundation stone of this project was laid with much publicity on September 10, 2016, by the then PDP-BJP government with a deadline to complete the work within a time frame of 'maximum two-year'.
While laying the foundation stone of the Rs 121 crore project, the then Forest Minister, Choudhary Lal Singh had claimed that the project will be completed within two years at any cost and will attract tourists from across the country.
The Jambu Zoo is the largest zoo in North India and also has an open entertainment theatre and park for children. The zoo has battery-powered vehicles for tourists to travel around. This facility will be a major attraction for tourists in the city.
UT is at a cusp of development, says LG
After inaugurating the zoo, the Lieutenant Governor said that the youth are the architects of New Jammu Kashmir.
"Jammu and Kashmir UT is at a cusp in its development trajectory. We have broken fresh grounds to enable faster growth. We are now at a stage where we need to accelerate this growth, make it more inclusive and convert the UT's potential into reality," LG Sinha said.
"This much awaited addition to the tourist destinations of J&K UT, spread over 70 ha area, was taken up under the languishing project and it shall attract both local residents and tourists visiting Union Territory," he said.
J&K entered into a new era of opportunities after G20 summit
He further said that with the successful conduct of the G20 summit, J&K UT has entered a new era of opportunities.
"It is a rare moment and the world is applauding J&K's saga of development. We must work together to keep pace with the rest of the states and contribute to the significant task of Viksit Bharat 2047", he said.
"Our youth are the architects of New Jammu Kashmir and we are seeing a steady rise in youth entrepreneurs, who are working with dedication to build a prosperous society and preserve our civilizational-cultural values and our commitment to peace," said the Lieutenant Governor.
Sinha said that no power on earth can stop the UT from touching new heights of progress and development as Jammu was changing like Kashmir; the UT was heading towards peace, progress, and prosperity.
