Town Planning Organization not extending necessary cooperation
*People facing hassles in getting building permissions
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 31: Even after the lapse of over a decade, the revision of Patnitop Master Plan is yet to be completed mainly because the Town Planning Organization is not extending necessary cooperation to the Patnitop Development Authority in finalization of the draft prepared by the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT).
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that keeping in view huge influx of tourists over the years the need to have controlled and planned development was felt by the Patnitop Development Authority and accordingly exercise for revision of Master Plan 2000 was set into motion by assigning the task to the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) Ahmedabad through a formal agreement dated September 17, 2011.
The CEPT prepared the draft after a lengthy exercise and submitted the same to the Patnitop Development Authority, Deputy Administration Udhampur and District Administration Ramban for their comments and suggestions. Even the draft was put in the public domain for inviting objections and shared with the Town Planning Organization of Jammu and Kashmir for their opinion.
While the objections and suggestions along with the comments of all other concerned authorities were taken care of by the CEPT for incorporation in the revised draft, the Town Planning Organization kept on raising one after another objection necessitating further discussion, sources informed, adding “most of the doubts of the Town Planning Organization were later cleared by the CEPT but there was no end to pointing out of new objections as a result of which the Master Plan revision exercise has not reached the logical conclusion even after the lapse of over a decade”.
Earlier this month, the Divisional Commissioner Jammu intervened and convened a meeting to oversee the progress on the revision of Master Plan of the Patnitop Development Authority and related issues.
During the meeting, Divisional Commissioner directed the Town Planning Organization to submit optimum/specific observations within a period of 15 days and the CEO of PDA was also tasked with coordinating with Town Planning Organization and CEPT to address the same in Master Plan which is under revision.
“Though the time-frame fixed by the Divisional Commissioner is over yet the Town Planning Organization has not submitted specific observations despite the fact that Divisional Commissioner had stressed for time-bound notification of the final revised Master Plan”, sources said, adding “the interesting aspect is that Town Planning Organization doesn’t have full time Chief Town Planner and charge is being held by Vice-Chairman Jammu Development Authority”.
The revised Master Plan will be applicable only for 250 square kilometer of the Patnitop Development Authority and for additional area of 242 square kilometer, which was brought under the jurisdiction of Patnitop Development Authority after 2012 onwards separate Master Plan will have to be prepared and steps in this direction can be initiated only after the completion of ongoing revision exercise.
“Because of uncertainty over the completion of ongoing exercise the concerned authorities have not taken any step towards selection of agency for preparation of Master Plan for remaining area”, sources said, adding “the inordinate delay in completion of Master Plan revision exercise is notwithstanding the fact that implementation of the plan on the ground is associated with alleviating the challenges relating to building permissions”.
“People within the jurisdiction of Patnitop Development Authority are finding it difficult to get permissions for construction of their houses in the absence of proper Master Plan”, they informed, adding “the officers in the Town Planning Organization who have been assigned the task of giving specific suggestions should be taken to task for creating hurdles in the finalization of the Master Plan”.
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