“Had the Governments in yesteryears designed master plans to suit the existing and future infrastructural requirements and efficient delivery of public services, the people in cities and towns won’t have been as much vulnerable to flood threats as they are now.”
The urban planning is all about the development of urban infrastructure in cities and towns for the purposes of the availability of hassle free basic amenities and civic facilities to the urban populations anywhere in the world and same holds good for people in cities and towns of Jammu & Kashmir including twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu. Just two days ago a two-day conclave on urban planning and renewal was held by the Union Ministry Of Housing & Urban Development in Srinagar during which urban planners and urban practitioners discussed at length the development of urban infrastructure in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir. Since the agenda for the meeting was building resilient and sustainable cities and towns for the future, administrative wisdom demands that urban planners and practitioners discuss with top functionaries of Srinagar Development Authority (SDA), Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) , J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority(J&K LCMA) and J&K Urban Local Bodies (J&K ULB) Department the causes of the failures of several master plans designed for the development of Srinagar and several towns during the reigns of several successive Government in decades of popular rule in erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state .Had the Governments in yesteryears designed master plans to suit the existing and future infrastructural requirements and efficient delivery of public services, the people in cities and towns won’t have been as much vulnerable to flood threats as they are now and instead would have been home to best of the civic facilities in the country like Chandigarah and Bangaluru. While the devastating earthquake of 2005 triggered a debate about developing Srinagar and Jammu as quake resistant cities, the urban planners in the aftermath of 2014 devastating floods advised Government to rebuild drainage system in cities and towns rendered defunct during the floods. Lately unprecedented rise in tourist footfall during last three years has brought under stress even the waste disposal management systems which are yet to be developed on modern lines in cities and towns of Jammu & Kashmir particularly the top tourist destinations in valley.
“While in cities urban plans are designed and implemented jointly by the development authorities and municipal bodies, the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) department designs and implements urban plans in towns. The urban planners, and urban practitioners of the Union Ministry Of Housing & Urban Development who discussed the agenda of building resilient and sustainable cities could as such lay a strong foundation for a strong urban infrastructure and efficient delivery of civic facilities only after looking into the causes of the failures of the master plans of previous Governments.”
More over the increasing trends of the migration of people from villages to towns and cities has put under stress the already developed urban infrastructure and delivery of basic civic facilities in cities and towns particularly the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu. While developing urban infrastructure and improving efficiency of the delivery of civic facilities are the pressing concerns for urban planning in Jammu & Kashmir, the increasing trend of using agriculture and horticulture land for both the residential and as well as commercial hubs is yet another pressing concern having a direct bearing on the development of urban infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir. While in cities urban plans are designed and implemented jointly by the development authorities and municipal bodies, the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) department designs and implements urban plans in towns. The urban planners, and urban practitioners of the Union Ministry Of Housing & Urban Development who discussed the agenda of building resilient and sustainable cities could as such lay a strong foundation for a strong urban infrastructure and efficient delivery of civic facilities only after looking into the causes of the failures of the master plans of previous Governments.
