| Govt to outsource sanitation, allied services to Tourism Dev Authorities at 4 health resorts | | Significance of Housing department goes for a toss | |
Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, May 11: At a time when the government is contemplating to hold elections for the local bodies in the state later this year, a disturbing development has taken place with the same likely to erode the significance and importance of the Housing and Urban Development department not only in Kashmir, but in Jammu as well.
The government has decided to outsource the sanitation and allied services at four health resorts of the state from the Housing and Urban Development department to Tourism Development Authorities. The decision was taken in the last month and since then the formal communication has been shot to the higher ups of Housing and Urban Development department.
On 1-4-2015, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed wherein it was decided that sanitation and cleanliness arrangements at Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Patnitop will be outsourced under properly defined contractual framework. This decision was listed on agenda number 4 of the meeting.
"Municipalities/Urban Local Bodies at Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Patnitop and Sonamarg will be brought under the administrative and financial control of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the concerned Tourism Development Authorities. Modalities in this regard will be worked out," reads the decision taken with respect to agenda number 6 of the meeting.
The order with respect to the decisions taken during the meeting was issued on 3-4-2015 under the order number PS/PRS/HCM/46/2015. During the meeting 22 items were taken up for discussion and the decisions were taken on all the agenda items.
According to the order, Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and CEOs of the respective Tourism Development Authorities were given two weeks to spell out the whole process of outsourcing of the sanitation and allied activities. At the same time, the order asked the Commissioner Secretary, Housing and Urban Development department and Commissioner Secretary, Tourism to work out the modalities with regard to the financial and administrative control of the decisions taken.
Following the decisions taken during the meeting, the Housing and Urban Development department shot letters to Directors of Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir and Jammu asking them to take the necessary action with respect to the financial and administrative control of the Development Authorities over the latest arrangement.
"I am directed to forward herewith a copy of communication number PS/PRS/HCM/46/2015 dated 03-04-2015 received from Principal Secretary to Hon'ble Chief Minister regarding the subject cited above and request you to take necessary action with regard to decision at serial number 6 within the stipulated time," wrote Firdous Hussain, Under Secretary, Housing and Urban Development department. The communication was sent to the Director Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir and Director Urban Local Bodies, Jammu under the order number HUD/SMC/JMC/59/2015 dated 6-04-2015.
It would be in place to mention here that sanitation and allied services at Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Patnitop and Sonamarg were being looked after by the respective municipal committees. The latest order issued by the government is likely to dent the future of the employees working in these municipal committees. |
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