Touted as one of the big ticket tourism projects here in the ‘city of temples’, Artificial Tawi lake Project, may not see the light of the day as the State Government has suddenly developed cold feet after spending more than Rs57 crore on the project in the last six years. The project, which was set into motion in December 2009 by the Omar Abdullah-led alliance Government, has already missed three deadlines and as per the latest deadline set by the project executing agencies was expected to be commissioned in 2015.
Originally the brain child of former Congress Minister Taj Mohid-Ud-Din, the foundation stone of the project was laid by Omar Abdullah to mark the birth anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah on December 5, 2009. Since then the project was given wide publicity and tourism department was directed to hard sell the ambitious lake project to attract tourists visiting Mata Vaishno Devi and Amarnath cave shrine to spend some time in Jammu the non-completion of the same may adversely affect the tourism sector in Jammu.
The announcement was made by Chief Minister Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed himself during his informal interaction with media persons at a luncheon meeting in Jammu on Friday. “As for as lake project is concerned, I will tell you, economically and technically, it is not feasible”, Mufti told reporters. listing out the reasons Mufti explained, “Water flow is not like that of Chenab or Ravi Rivers. It will take one year to fill and that is not feasible but you can undertake landscaping of the river banks.” “We will undertake landscaping of banks of river Tawi and make it attractive. People will go there and sit in the gardens that we proposed to set up,” he further added.