Expressing serious concern over haphazard expansion and a mushroom growth of unplanned colonies in Srinagar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senior leader and party candidate for Amirakadal constituency Syed Altaf Bukhari Sunday alleged National Conference led government utterly failed in addressing the pressing demands of rapid urbanization in its six years rule.Addressing various roadside meetings during his door-to-door campaign in Badshah Nagar, Natipora, Gulshan Nagar Methan, Bagwanpora, Rawalpora, Kursoo, Rajbagh and Sanat Nagar, Bukhari claimed that during last six years the present dispensation did not bother to focus on rapid urbanization that had necessitated an accelerated demand for basic amenities in twin cities of Srinagar and Jammu.
“There is no doubt that urbanization can promote a growth by increased productivity and innovation but at the same time it speeds up demands for basic services, including infrastructure, jobs, land, affordable housing and many other issues,” Bukhari said while lamenting that National Conference led government has failed to evolve a plan to address all the issues including the price rise in property markets that has squeezed out the middle classes in the state.The PDP candidate for Amirakadal constituency said that during his interactions with the people in different parts of his constituency he could find the present dispensation has not been able to provide the type of infrastructure that could have helped the City in general and the new city dwellers in particular. Bukhari said that the unplanned colonies have given rise to haphazard development, leading to an all-round chaos. "The lack of a government initiative under National Conference led government in housing has led to this unplanned expansion, where people buy land privately for construction of houses, without any regard for proper road connectivity, drainage, solid waste disposal, electricity and water supply," he observed further.
Bukhari said the authorities under the present dispensation neglected the vital task of constructing planned settlements in and around the Srinagar city. “It is ironical that Srinagar with a population of about 1.2 million has a few colonies at its disposal sofar. The way the population of Srinagar is increasing there should have been a minimum of four times the existing number of government colonies in the city at present,” Bukhari stressed, while assuring the people that PDP will thoroughly look into this pressing problem and will come out with a comprehensive strategy to address the same.
He stressed on the need to have construction of colonies under public private partnership in the state. “There is also a need to chalk out a plan on how to address the issues of regularization of un-authorized colonies that have come up all these six years in both the cities Jammu and Srinagar,” Bukhari said while highlighting the pathetic condition of inhabitants of these colonies who have remained without the benefits of several welfare schemes launched by the Central Government. “PDP will ensure that benefits of these schemes are extended to these colonies without any delay,” he assured the people during his door-to-door public meetings.