On the captioned subject, through these very columns in our edition of August 18 , we had discussed in details about various discrepancies noticed by the Divisional Commissioner in Jammu Master Plan who had promptly brought the same into the notice of Principal Secretary to the Government, Housing and Urban Development Department. As already informed, he wanted initiation of an exercise to address the glaring discrepancies so as to have the Master Plan 2032 to be in tune with the requirements of the city of Jammu. However, it is now fairly learnt that the concerned UT Housing and Urban Development Department does not appear to be adequately concerned about the issue so as to have the raised variations and even deviations addressed by it at an early date. Though we agree that a period of one month or so of attending to this job is not enough going by the set conventional standards of the working culture, yet some sort of preliminaries and preparations should have been evident in the interests of the comprehensive development of Jammu.
There being a proviso for amending a part or even the whole of the Plan pursuant to periodic review leaves enough cushion for taking up the desired exercise even prior to the expiry period should such an eventuality arise and warrant as such . Therefore, we do not see any merit or wisdom in letting the errors or mismatches in the said plan to remain unattended. When a notice was issued, following taking up the matter with the concerned department by the Div Com, for convening a meeting on August 16 to sort out the issues, wherein all concerned authorities were to participate , it was cancelled probably without any reason. Since no further date of convening of such meeting was advised, even nearly a fortnight having passed neither without a fresh date announced nor in the absence thereof any tangible action taken, the issue is likely to get delayed.
Should it be taken that the Housing and Urban Development Department either accords no importance to the ”discrepancies” pointed out by the Div Com in the Plan or is not inclined to initiate measures to set them right, dictated by reasons not known. The issue needs a concerted resolution. While framing the document plan, care should have been taken, as prudence demands, not to leave any scope for an issue of the sorts creeping up and casting shadow on the entire Master Plan. Whatever the case, at least a communiqué from the Department in this respect could have cleared the air though the fact is that barring the few dissimilarities , overall the revised Plan is more or less catering to the needs of Jammu. What we want to convey is that addressing the issues raised in a time bound manner but at the earliest possible, would make the entire Master Plan a solid document, a blue print and a guide to shape Jammu into a modern and model city.
Since there being various issues related to the domain of different Departments, for ensuring speedy reconciliation and resolving certain crept up issues, it was important that there emerged close cooperation between them to sort out the issues on the table . It could be the other way also like visiting one another to getting points clarified and even resolved once the aim was to deliver and perform. Such workable approaches should not be left to the confines of convening formal meetings with prerequisites like fulfilling formalities like adequate quorums and other avoidable conditions. Once it is realised that the working culture is needed to be changed fast for the better, discrepancies in Master Plan 2032 like issues can get sorted out easily and speedily.
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