While some of the good old residential colonies have been already changed into commercial hubs in the city centre areas in both the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and most of the good old major towns in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division, lately the authorities of the municipal bodies of both the twin capital cities and major towns of Kashmir Valley and Jammu division are unfortunately randomly allowing people to rent out their residential houses to Government departments for running their subordinate offices and the private parties for accommodation purposes on yearly basis. Moreover people are allowed to construct even hotels and shops deep inside the residential colonies both in cities and towns in violating of the standing building permission norms across Jammu & Kashmir. Unfortunately public grievances against commercialisation of residential colonies and construction of commercial structures including hotels, shops, preparatory schools and polyclinics deep inside residential colonies with the blessings of the concerned authorities of municipalities of cities and towns even without proper building permissions from the competent authorities are not taken as seriously as they should have been taken for the purposes of immediate action. Had public grievances against the use of residential houses for commercial purposes and construction of commercial structures deep inside residential colonies in the twin capital cities and major towns of both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division been taken serious by the competent authorities of the concerned municipalities, the intensity of never ending process of commercialisation of residential colonies would have been reduced to a greater extent in cities and towns in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Demolishing illegal structures built for residential purposes in selected pockets of the twin capital cities won’t in any way reduce the intensity of the ongoing commercialisation of residential colonies in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir.
The housing and urban development department exercising administrative control over municipalities of cities and towns could have at least set a precedence of seeking detailed reports about both the approved building permissions and as well as violation of building permission norms from all the municipalities of all cities and towns of both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division on monthly basis. A better system of building permission laws for regulating the construction of commercial constructions and use of residential houses for commercial purpose deep inside residential colonies is obviously the only way out.
While illegal structures built for residential purposes in cities and towns are demolished at short notices in short time, the commercial structures including hotels, shops, preparatory schools and polyclinics built deep inside residential colonies in cities and towns even without sanction of building permission by the competent authorities are surprisingly left untouched in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Though elections to municipal bodies across Jammu & Kashmir three years back were held with the spirit of enforcing building permission laws more stringently in both the twin capital cities and major towns across Jammu & Kashmir but unfortunately a casual approach shown in the enforcement of building permission laws during last three years by the municipal bodies has led to unprecedented rise in mass commercialisation of residential in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir. The housing and urban development department exercising administrative control over municipalities of cities and towns could have at least set a precedence of seeking detailed reports about both the approved building permissions and as well as violation of building permission norms from all the municipalities of all cities and towns of both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division on monthly basis. A better system of building permission laws for regulating the construction of commercial constructions and use of residential houses for commercial purpose deep inside residential colonies is obviously the only way out.
