Soz urges separatists to take part in round-table

Baramulla, May 7: Union Water Resources Minister Saif-ud-din Soz has appealed to the separatist leaders to participate in the second roundtable conference on Kashmir convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Srinagar on May 25.

Addressing party workers during his first visit to the Baramulla district after taking over as a Union Minister, Prof Soz welcomed the holding of the second roundtable conference in Srinagar on May 25.

Prof Soz appealed to those leaders (separatists), who did not attend the first conference in New Delhi, to come forward and attend the second round-table.

''We must work jointly for resolving the Kashmir issue so that a new era of peace and development begins in the state,'' he added.

Prof Soz said the recent decisions taken by India and Pakistan to open the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road for trade will go a long way in boosting the economy of the people on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC).

Expressing satisfaction over the operation of bus service on the Poonch-Rawalakote road, he said this trade link will boost the local products such as handicrafts, carpets and horticulture.

About the development activities in Baramulla district, Prof Soz said the work on the construction of a 230 MW power station at Gurez will be taken up soon.

He announced that a community hall would be constructed in Baramulla and released Rs 5 lakh out of his MPLAD fund for purchase of a water tanker for the town and said services of experts would be sought very soon for beautification of Wullar Lake.

For maintenance of river Jhelum, Prof Soz said Rs 12 crore were being spent besides exploring of 44 new tubewells in the district.

At Tujar Sharief in Sopore, he said the existing spring near Sultan-i-Arifeen mosque will be developed on modern lines.

Prof Soz also released Rs 5 lakh for construction of chambers in the Baramulla Court Complex.

UNI