SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday chaired a series of high-level departmental review meetings in Srinagar to assess the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) plans for the financial year 2025–26 across the Estates, Revenue, Tourism and Culture departments. The meetings were aimed at ensuring early approval, timely fund authorisation, and swift implementation of key infrastructure and development projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
Joined by Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, and senior administrative officers from the concerned departments, the Chief Minister stressed the need for effective coordination, strict monitoring, and judicious use of resources to meet public expectations and institutional development targets.
The Estates Department reported a CAPEX expenditure of 94.93 per cent for the 2024–25 financial year, with 182 of 217 approved works completed. For the current fiscal year, the department has a ceiling of Rs 100 crore, with allocations made for ongoing housing projects, water and electricity provisions at Sempora, and major infrastructure developments in Jammu and Srinagar, including the construction of 300 new government flats and twin towers at Canal Road. Several large-scale works are expected to be completed by October this year.
The Revenue Department shared that Rs 69 crore out of the approved Rs 79 crore had already been uploaded to the BEAMS portal. It has proposed 133 new projects, including the construction of SDM and Tehsil offices, and the expansion of revenue facilities across districts. The department has also made significant progress in digitisation, with nearly 100 per cent of land records scanned and integrated into the Land Records Information System. The second phase of the project includesthe transliteration of Urdu records into 22 Indian languages and the real-time integration of record systems with spatial maps and legal mutation processes.
In the tourism sector, the department disclosed that it had already spent over Rs 247 crore under the 2024–25 CAPEX Plan and completed more than 50 per cent of its 1,551 approved works. For 2025–26, the department has drawn up 1,071 projects with an outlay of Rs 191.87 crore. These include fresh infrastructure projects, solid waste and sewerage upgrades in key destinations like Gulmarg, expansion of water and winter sports facilities, and the development of new destinations under tourism master plans. The Chief Minister was also briefed on efforts to revive under-utilised tourism assets and prioritise works proposed by elected representatives.
The Culture Department, meanwhile, outlined its renewed focus on heritage conservation, digitisation, and regional language promotion. Of the 106 heritage restoration projects taken up earlier, 16 have been completed, and another 46 are on course for completion by March 2026. A revised proposal to modernise the SPS Museum is under consideration, and restoration work at the historic Mubarak Mandi complex in Jammu has been allocated Rs 30 crore. Other key initiatives include the revival of the Tehzeeb Mahal project in Srinagar, the expansion of cultural programming, and the re-launch of the “Sheeraza” publication in minority languages.
Reviewing the presentations, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah welcomed the departments’ forward-looking CAPEX plans and emphasised the urgency of translating these into visible development outcomes. He called for tighter execution timelines, stronger inter-departmental synergy, and regular review of milestones to ensure the timely delivery of public infrastructure.
