*Govt fails to convene even one meeting of vital body
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 12: Unbeli-evable it may sound but it is a harsh reality that PDP-BJP Coalition Government has entrusted the task of implementing new Katra Master Plan over 79 square kilometers area to only three officers thereby making the mockery of ensuring systematic development of one of the major pilgrimage centers of the country. Moreover, no meeting of the Katra Development Authority (KDA), which has the responsibility of protecting the town from haphazard and disorganized expansion, has been convened by the present dispensation ever since taking over the reins of the State.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that several years back the State Government notified Katra town under the provisions of State Development Act of 1970 and constituted a Development Authority for preparation and implementation of Master Plan so as to ensure planned development taking into consideration growing trends and future requirements.
However, this vital Development Authority received the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) only in 2011 following which it started functioning properly to achieve the objective behind its establishment. With the passage of time the town started witnessing continuous growth in pilgrim population and the need was felt to formulate new Master Plan for Katra.
Accordingly, the process for preparation of new Master Plan was set into motion to identify growth areas in view of long term requirement of the town and set down as clearly and practically as possible the best and most appropriate future development of the town. However, the successive Governments maintained dilly-dallying tactics towards finalization of new Master Plan.
It was only during the Governor’s Rule early this year that much needed push was given to the exercise of finalizing new Master Plan-2031 and finally the plan was approved by the State Administrative Council headed by Governor N N Vohra on March 28, 2016 and the same was notified on April 1, 2016 for strict implementation by the Katra Development Authority. With this decision, the jurisdiction of Katra Development Authority was increased from 11.06 square kilometers to 79.56 square kilometers.
However, the PDP-BJP Coalition Government, which came into being on April 4, 2016, has not paid any serious attention towards providing all necessary support to the Katra Development Authority for strict implementation of new Master Plan till date.
This can be gauged from the fact that Katra Development Authority, which has to implement the Master Plan on 79 square kilometers, is reeling under acute shortage of manpower. “Against 14 sanctioned posts, which otherwise are too meager, the Katra Development Authority is presently having only three officers including the Chief Executive Officer”, sources informed, adding “this clearly establishes that Government believes that daunting task of ensuring planned and systematic development of Katra can be ensured by utilizing the services of only three officers”.
“Astonishingly, the Katra Development Authority doesn’t have sanitation, technical and engineering wings at all”, sources said, adding “despite being aware of all this the Housing and Urban Development Department headed by Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh has not initiated any serious step till date for creation of more posts commensurate with the multifarious duties assigned to the Katra Development Authority and filling up of the vacant ones”.
What would be the fate of new Master Plan in the absence of sufficient manpower remains a million dollar question, sources remarked, adding “it is pity that on one side the Government is admitting that pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi is contributing immensely to the economy of the region and on the other side it is paying no attention towards ensuring planned development of the town”.
Sources disclosed that vide Government Order No.175-HUD of 2016 dated July 25, 2016 the Housing and Urban Development Department had constituted a committee for filling up of the vacant posts in the Katra Development Authority and it was specifically mentioned in the order that recruitment shall be made in accordance with the recruitment rules.
When the committee headed by Deputy Commissioner Reasi started exercise to fill-up the vacant posts it came to know that recruitment rules of Katra Development Authority were never framed as such the same was conveyed to the Housing and Urban Development Department.
“However, no decision has been taken by the Housing and Urban Development Department till date”, sources said, adding “it is a matter of serious concern that while constituting committee to fill up posts those at the helm of affairs in the Housing and Urban Development Department were completely unaware of lack of recruitment rules”.
“The non-serious approach towards implementation of new Master Plan doesn’t end here as the present dispensation has failed to convene even one meeting of the Katra Development Authority till date”, sources pointed out, adding “had any meeting of the KDA been convened the Government would have come to know about these difficulties”.
It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Minister is the Chairman of Katra Development Authority, Minister for Housing and Urban Development Department Vice-Chairman and MLA Reasi, Administrative Secretaries of Planning, Finance, Housing Departments, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Additional CEO Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Deputy Commissioner Reasi, Director Urban Local Bodies Jammu, Chief Town Planner Jammu and Chief Executive Officer are its members.
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