Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired the 52nd meeting of the Board of Directors of the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board (J&KHB) at the Civil Secretariat here, where detailed deliberations were held on key policy and administrative matters.
The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department Mandeep Kaur, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, Director General Codes and Director General Budget, Managing Director, J&K Housing Board while as other senior officers posted outside Jammu participated through video conference.
The Board reviewed the minutes of the 51st meeting of the Board of Directors held on June 28, 2024 and action taken on the decisions. During the meeting, the Board considered several agenda points, including proposals for development of a Mass Housing Colony at Birpur in Tehsil Bari Brahmana, District Samba, and construction of housing facilities on 41 Kanal 05 Marlas of land at Bhalwal, Jammu.
The Board also held detailed discussions on implementation of the J&K Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, 2022 through the J&K Housing Board, engaging of legal counsel for court cases and filing of appeals before the Hon’ble High Court in various matters, and budgetary proposals for the financial years 2024–25 and 2025–26.
Chairing the meeting, the Chief Minister emphasized timely execution of housing projects, transparency in decision-making and strict monitoring of timelines. He directed that certain agenda items be reconsidered and revised to ensure greater financial prudence, technical soundness and long-term public benefit before being taken up for final decision.
He further directed the Housing Board to fast-track project implementation, adopt modern project management practices and ensure that affordable, safe and quality housing is delivered to the people, particularly to middle and lower income groups, emphasizing that projects to provide affordable housing for all sections of the society is the essential purpose for which J&K Housing Board has been established.
The Chief Minister also stressed rationalization of institutional structures, strengthening of financial discipline and enhanced coordination among departments to make the Housing Board more efficient and citizen-centric.