Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh today directed the officers of Housing and Urban Development Department to ensure holistic development of Jammu city replete with all the basic facilities and modern amenities.“Come up with a comprehensive policy to meet the housing and other basic needs of the large chunk of population living in the urban areas of the State,” the Deputy Chief Minister said while speaking at the 44th meeting of the Board of Directors of Jammu & Kashmir Housing Board and 78th meeting of the Jammu Development Authority here today.Minister of State for Housing & Urban Development Ms Asiea Naqash was also present at these meetings.The Dy Chief Minister asked the Housing Board and JDA to synergize their activities in order to take necessary steps for providing housing colonies and other related amenities to the people within the shortest possible time-frame. “Special emphasis should be laid to come up with a viable housing policy with perspective planning to deal with the burgeoning population and their housing needs,” he maintained. He asked the officers to strictly deal with those trying to deviate from the already set patterns and also take strict action against the encroachers.The Deputy CM directed MD Housing Board to ensure proper development of parks and other related facilities in the housing colonies already set up by the Board and also explore the possibility of including private partners in these ventures. He said a comprehensive exercise should be undertaken for exploring the possibility of naming various housing colonies after the icons of the country and state.
The Deputy Chief Minister asked the Vice Chairman JDA to fast pace the development of prestigious projects like Tawi Ravi Front Project and Maharaja Hari Singh Memorial Park so that these are completed the stipulated time-frame. He said the officers working on these projects should hold regular meetings in order to ensure that these are completed within the shortest possible time.He also directed for early construction of Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUM) under NULM maintaining that it would go a long way in addressing the housing needs of urban homeless. He also called for fast pacing development of parks and pathways in various colonies of JDA, construction of flats being undertaken by the authority and also early completion of the mechanized semi-automatic multi-level car parking facility at Super Bazaar, City Chowk as well as the modernization/development of general bus stand cum multi level car parking cum commercial complex maintaining that adequate rehabilitation measures should also be undertaken for the affected shopkeepers so that their means of livelihood do not get disturbed .Commissioner/Secretary, Finance Navin Kumar Choudhary, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Dr Pawan Kotwal, Commissioner Secretary Housing & Urban Development Department, Hirdesh Kumar, VC JDA, Mubarak Singh, MD Housing Board Vipra Bahal and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Khan also participated in the Housing Board meeting through Video-Conferencing.