Mess of town planning in Kashmir

Shocking and insulting it is that haphazard growth of Srinagar the summer capital of the state and all major towns of Kashmir valley is continuing unabated for the reasons that the vital task of town planning organizations has been rendered ‘paralytic’ by the successive popular governments in the state. The outcome of non-serious approach of the helmsmen is that major towns in Kashmir and Srinagar city the summer capital of the state are failing to get a facelift for the reasons of not having comprehensive Master Plans required for planned urban development in the state. As far as the history of town planning in Jammu & Kashhmir state is concerned it was in the year 1960 that the an organization called ‘design directorate’ was established in the state but the ‘design directorate’ was later split into three bodies- Town Planning Organizations for Jammu and Kashmir provinces and Architect’s Organization for whole of the State. However irony of the fact is that during the last several decades of popular rule in the state no serious step was initiated to strengthen Town Planning Organizations .Consequently the organizations were virtually made‘defunct’ and presently both town planning organization is Kashmir has become paralytic due to absence of adequate manpower particularly qualified town planners. Presently town planning organization of Kashmir has only few qualified town planners despite having vast areas to handle for initiating a fast track process of planned development in Srinagar the summer capital of the state and major towns of Kashmir valley.
As such question arises that what wonders these town planning organizations can do in the absence of required manpower as even for preparing blue-print for planned development the availability of qualified town planners is a pre-requisite. The intensity of non-seriousness towards the manpower requirement of town planning organization in Kashmir can be gauged from the fact that town planning organization of Kashmir is yet to be provided the basic infrastructural facilities like modern equipments and laboratories required in the multi-disciplinary field of town planning. Though Town Planning Organization of Kashmir is conducting some exercise with much difficulties in the absence of trained manpower and other paraphernalia, the exercise of preparing master plans for some towns of the State is yet to be initiated and consequently comprehensive Master Plans of the valley town has hit the major road blocks. The ultimate outcome of the non serious approach of the Urban development department is the haphazard development of Srinagar city an d towns of Kashmir valley. Like previous Governments, the present PDP-BJP Government is also claiming to have laid focus on the upgradation of towns but how can the objective of planned development be achieved when the Town Planning Organization of Kashmir has been virtually rendered defunct due to non availability of professional town planners and infrastructural facilities like modern equipments and laboratories required in the multi-disciplinary field of town planning. The first and foremost before the present PDP-BJP Government headed by Mehbooba Mufti should be the administrative and infrastructural restructuring of Kashmir town planning organization as otherwise the priority would remain most un-prioritized.