Cabinet clears Gulmarg Hotel outsourcing, IT park, land transfers, JKAS promotions

Jammu Tawi, Aug 4: The Jammu & Kashmir Cabinet on Tuesday cleared several major proposals aimed at boosting tourism and infrastructure in the Union Territory.

Sources disclosed that the cabinet approved outsourcing of operations and maintenance of Hotel Ashok at Gulmarg through the public private partnership model for a concession period of 40 years, including a five-year construction phase.

In 1984, the J&K Government leased 64 kanals of land to the India Tourism Development Corporation Limited (ITDC) for 40 years to construct a hotel at Gulmarg. However, ITDC was unable to complete the project and eventually returned the land and its incomplete structure to the J&K Tourism Department.

The Cabinet also gave its go-ahead to the establishment of an IT/Innovation Park in collaboration with IIT Jammu. It further approved proposals regarding transfer of land for different purposes, including four kanals in Hiranagar, Kathua for construction of a cafeteria, four kanals and 11 marlas in Sonpah, Budgam for a Craft Village, and seven kanals and 5 marlas in Behibagh, Kulgam for an Army Goodwill School.

According to sources, the Cabinet also cleared the promotion of 28 JKAS officers, including nine to the Special Scale and 18 to the Selection Grade.