Jammu,  Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday inaugurated the recommencement of balance work of Tawi Barrage.

Sinha said that recommencement of Tawi Barrage is a significant occasion for Jammu city.

The ambitious project, which was delayed for more than a decade, will enhance scenic beauty, increase tourism potential of the city of temples and it will also ensure creation of recreational spots for people, the Lt. Governor added.

Today's initiative is a part of the government's endeavour to develop urban centres as engines of economic growth and make the cities ecologically and economically sustainable, he said.

The new and robust infrastructure will cater to tourists as well the local population, making the citizens partners in the conservation and development of water bodies, Sinha added.

Noting that the legacy of project delays in J&K has hampered the economy of the region and kept people away from the basic facilities, the Lt Governor asserted that project delays which were earlier considered a norm is now a thing of the past.

The Union Territory has achieved new strides in project implementation, while only 9,229 projects were completed in 2018-19, more than 50,000 projects have been completed in 2021-22, registering a substantial five-fold increase, Sinha said.

The proposed Tawi Barrage will create a pondage of 1.41 million cubic metres. It will be an auto-mechanical and manual operated gated barrage controlled through SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system and the project is scheduled to be commissioned by mid-July 2023.