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| Politicians abusing Srinagar Master Plan more than the public | | | Bashir Assad
SRINAGAR, Nov 1: While the violation of the Srinagar Master Plan has been hogging headlines for quite some time, the political establishment has emerged as the major abuser of the plan throwing all the norms and standards laid down in the plan to winds.
Although the joint sub-committee of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) has attributed the violations to the faulty and ill conceived land use policy, however, there is no mention of how the politicians of the ruling elite are butchering the plan for personal and partisan but short term benefits.
It is not only the people who have been raising huge structures like residential houses and commercial complexes in gross violation of the master plan, the politicians particularly from ruling National Conference are overtly or covertly encouraging and in certain cases involved in violating the master plan. Take for instance the skewed bridge being constructed over river Jehlum near the Presentation Convent School, Raj Bagh, the people here have been questioning the viability and its impact on environment and fragile ecology and above all the intentions of those who have conceived the project. Though the project is at advanced stage and the High Court of J&K has also dismissed a petition seeking to stop the government from constructing the skewed bridge on the grounds that when a project is undertaken and crores of public money is spent, the petitioner "in the garb of PIL cannot be permitted to challenge the policy decision and rightly so, however, there are still many questions that need to be answered by the government.
The very first questions that comes to the mind is whether the bridge that too skewed is fulfilling the norms laid down in the much hyped Srinagar Master Plan or whether it fits in the guidelines of the plan.
There are other fundamental questions such as who conceived the project and what are its objectives and how for the ecology permits to construct a 4th bridge within half a kilometer. Now the Government has told the court that the construction of the bridge had been envisaged in the Master Plan 1971-91 and that the project cannot be seen as a violation of the Master Plan then what is the fun of formulating a new master plan if Master Plan of 1971-91 is still relevant?
Another example can be cited that of the huge complex being constructed quit opposite to the J&K High Court and Civil secretariat. In 2010 unrest the complex housing the Crime Branch of J&K Police and some Engineering Wings was totally damaged in fire. The government in a haste started construction of the big complex at the same cite without giving it a thought. It could have left the place open for maintaining the glory of the State Arts Emporium on one hand to provide parking to the ever increasing private vehicles. Then there are commercial complexes particularly the mushrooming of show-rooms on Srinagar By-pass and every body knows who owns what.
There are dozens of such instances which could be quoted to prove the point that the ruling class politicians are more concerned about short term and in certain cases for monetary benefits.
But all said and done the people at large are also to be blamed for converting the historical and beautiful city of Srinagar into one of the worst ill-planed city.
The detailed preliminary report prepared by a joint sub-committee of SMC and SDA has said that "faulty and ill-conceived land use policy of Master plan has been a major contributing factor for majority of land use violations/deviations."
The report says that "in true sense" the Master Plan has failed to encourage development of core activities in new areas and out-growths of Srinagar, resulting into excessive concentration and agglomeration of activities in and around core city with accelerated trend of violations.
"It is unfortunate to make mention that wherever district centers/nodal faculties work as centers of activities have been envisaged in the Master Plan, have either been wrongly identified/proposed or are within existing or built-up before bringing within the jurisdiction of SMC limits, leaving no scope for their development," the report reads.
It also blames the Master Plan for failing to take cognizance of ground realities and changing requirements of Srinagar as a capital or tourist city.
"The plan needs immediate updating to harmonize development of city and government, through SMC/SDA/LAWDA; has to provide incentives, and act as facilitator for decentralization of business district of Srinagar city," the report reads.
However, the SMC and SDA never acted on the findings of the report. On the contrary, the report was shelved and its recommendations were never implemented.
The structures built in violation of the Master Plan are on the radar of SMC, which has been acting against the violators on direction of the High Court. |
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