Despite repeated directives from the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, the collaborative delineation of state-owned land entrusted to the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) is proceeding at a glacial pace due to a glaring lack of efficient coordination between the JDA and the Revenue Department. This sluggish progress is painfully evident, with approximately 10,000 kanals of land in the Jammu and Samba districts still awaiting proper delineation. In the realm of Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir has issued numerous mandates, urging the expeditious completion of the demarcation of state land transferred to the JDA on multiple occasions.
The JDA, entrusted with the monumental task of ushering Jammu into a new era of development, has, in reality, languished in a state of dormancy for an interminable span of decades. Despite the grandiose ambitions laid out in Master Plan 2032 and its antecedent blueprints, the JDA’s capacity to translate these ambitions into tangible reality is nowhere on the ground. The stark consequence of this dereliction is that while Jammu’s population has grown exponentially, particularly after the influx of migrants in 1990, but the concomitant expansion of residential and commercial infrastructure remains stagnated. This stasis has given birth to an uncontrollable proliferation of unauthorised private colonies. These mushrooming colonies, born out of necessity, have arisen haphazardly, bereft of even the most rudimentary civic amenities. Except for a handful of residential flats, the JDA has consistently faltered in the execution of noteworthy projects in recent memory.
While historical factors may have played a role in the JDA’s previous inertia, the present situation is fraught with inertia despite repeated directives urging the demarcation of JDA land. The sluggish progress in the collaborative demarcation and fencing efforts between the Revenue Department and JDA is nothing short of a grave concern. No justifications or alibis can be proffered for the protracted non-compliance with Court orders that have languished without implementation for years on end. Even the incessant reminders emanating from the Divisional Commissioner’s office have failed to catalyse any substantial change.
The media, in its diligent pursuit of the truth, has admirably fulfilled its role by shedding light on this issue, eventually leading to the filing of a PIL. The very purpose of demarcation, aimed at safeguarding the integrity of JDA land, stands on the precipice of defeat as these vulnerable land parcels teeter on the brink of encroachment by rapacious opportunists. This perilous situation could potentially ignite yet another protracted legal battle, further exacerbating the existing conundrum. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, serving as the parent entity, can no longer remain a passive observer of this saga of inefficiency. The highest echelons of authority must now descend upon this quagmire to unearth and obliterate the entrenched bottlenecks. The persistent non-cooperation between these two governmental departments is wholly untenable in this digital age, where information flows seamlessly without the constraint of physical presence. The incessant cycle of inaction and stagnation must be brought to an unequivocal end.
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