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| Staff shortage hits SDA's drive against illegal constructions in Srinagar | | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Oct 4: Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) has a meager staff to keep track on construction activities in this summer capital of the state.
A senior official of SDA told Early Times that the present strength of demolition wing in the department is one Deputy Director, one Khilafwarzi Officer, 3 inspectors and around 7 demolition guards. It's insufficient for the monitoring, vigil and carrying out demolition in the areas falling under the jurisdiction of the SDA.
He said that understaffing has always remained a serious problem in the department. "There are around 120 posts vacant in the SDA. The vacant positions include around 20 junior engineers, Assistant town planer, junior assistants, Class IV and others. Over the years such levels of understaffing "adversely" affect service delivery of the department," the official maintained.
The Srinagar Master Plan is applicable to a total of 417 square kilometers and out of this 160 square kilometers are looked after by SDA. Rest of the area comes under the jurisdiction of SMC.
Sources said that the SDA over the years has failed to stop illegal constructions on either side of Srinagar By-pass which is very limited area. "Huge shopping complexes, hotels, hospitals, and showrooms of various car making companies have come up in violations of Srinagar Master Plan and SDA has failed to act".
Sources said that one can judge the failure of the SDA with the fact that over the years there are at least a dozen government offices, including Haj House, Housing and Urban Development Department, J&K State Board of School Education, a city hospital and Forensic Science Laboratory along with many offices that have come in the Bypass in the clear violation of the norms.
Sources alleged that nearly 9,000 structures have come in Srinagar in violation of the Master Plan guidelines.
"There are 3,000 structures in the bypass area which have come up in violation of the master plan norms," a senior officer in the office of Chief Town Planner, Kashmir, said.
He said while the violators had sought permission for residential buildings but constructed commercial structures, others had flouted the guidelines for construction of commercial structures.
Sources while making disclosure said that almost all automobile showrooms in city especially set up on Nowgam bypass road had come up in gross violation of Master Plan norms.
"Owner of an automobile showroom in this area had got permission for establishing a farm house. Instead of establishing farm house, he raised an automobile showroom and a service station using the same permission," sources said.
"The state still has no plan on how to develop and manage the city," a former official of the SDA said, adding that politicians were also to be blamed for the mess as they were are only bothered about their political constituency. "As per the norms, a building has to be 120 feet away from the centre of the main road, but it is being allowed to come up with zero distance from the main road only because an illegal building permission was granted," the former official maintained. |
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