ONGC to fund construction of Yatri Niwas in Jammu

New Delhi: State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Tuesday said it is funding the construction of a National Disaster Mitigation Centre and Yatri Niwas in Sidhra in Jammu to ease logistic challenges for tourists and pilgrims.

"This ONGC-funded Yatri Niwas will solve this logistical challenge to a large extent, by providing accommodation for 30,000 tourists in a year, thus staggering the movement of tourists and pilgrims," the firm said in a statement.

Every year, lakhs of tourists visit Srinagar and Amarnath. The large footfalls have been causing logistical challenges for a long time, especially for needy tourists and pilgrims.

"The ONGC Disaster Management Centre will play a pivotal role in providing essential amenities such as lodging, sanitation, and safe drinking water. It will serve as a central hub for distributing vital information and delivering relief measures during emergencies," it said.

Additionally, it will contribute to traffic management and ensure a seamless tourist/pilgrimage experience, with a special focus on facilitating boarding and lodging facilities for needy tourists/pilgrims.

The construction of the National Disaster Mitigation Centre and Yatri Niwas will take place on a 1.84-acre plot, with an approximate built-up area of 8,500 square metres.

ONGC, the nation's top oil and gas producer, will fund the project from its CSR corpus.

"As a part of its extensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, ONGC has made a generous pledge of Rs 51 crore to support this project," it said.

The foundation stone for the project was laid by Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Lieutenant Government of Jammu & Kashmir Manoj Sinha.