The progress in implementation of the first ever Master Plan of Srinagar City 1971-1991 remained dismal even up to 2000 when it ended. And it was a decade back that the revised Master Plan 2000-2021 for the metropolitan area was approved.
 Being in midway, we need to have a retrospection of the targets and achievements of the new proposals including the completion of the backlogs of the earlier plan.
 In the action plan of the revised Master Plan, it has been stressed that in order that the previous practice and the sorrowful affair of ignoring the implementation of Master Plan 1971-91, is not repeated, it is important to strengthen the base for implementation of the present Master Plan.
 This will necessitate creation of monitoring agencies at the high and the SDA levels, besides strengthening the Town planning/ Arch wing of the organization.
 Accordingly it was recommended that qualified Architects and Engineers who have gained knowledge in preparation of Master Plan- be immediately deputed to the School of Planning & Architecture New Delhi.
 Also, some staff was to be deputed outside state (where they have introduced Land Pooling & Reconstruction System) so that the major recommendation advocated in the Master Plan is accomplished.
 Then we also need to take lessons from Godbole Committee report. It says: “Though Master Plan of the two Capital Cities ( Srinagar and Jammu)were notified two decades ago, hardly 20% of the recommendations of the Master Plans were implemented.”
 The Committee further recommends, “It (Ninth Plan) should be a plan for consolidation of past gains. It should aim at completing all spill over works.”
 As per the J&K Development Act, Master Plan defines various zones in to which ‘Local Area’ is divided for purposes of development. The Master Plan also indicates the manner in which the land in each zone is to be used and the stages by which such development is to be carried out.
 The Master Plan also serves as a basic pattern of frame work within which the Zonal Development Plans of various zones of the ‘Local Area’ may be prepared.
 Besides completing the backlog of 1971-91, the Housing and Urban Development Department J&K Govt has fixed in the revised Master Plan 2000-21, targets in stages as per the requirement of the increased population and the expanded area of the Greater Srinagar.
 We are at the threshold of the second decade of the revised Master Plan and this is the right time to make introspection of our achievements, shortfalls and targets for the next decade. Since the increase in the population is not going to wait for our slow progress of work, corrective measures can be taken right in the earnest to attack the shortfalls in various sectors including: Social infrastructure, health care, socio cultural facilities, distribution services, police/fire services, religious institutions, other community facilities, physical infrastructure like roads, water supply, drainage, solid waste disposal and electricity requirement.
 Lest we be caught napping at the end of the Master Plan Period 2021.

 Er Muhammad Ashraf Fazili
Chief Engineer (Retd.)
(The ideas expressed are author’s own)

Lastupdate on : Thu, 4 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 4 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 5 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST