Srinagar, May 25: Concerned about City’s infrastructural demands or discrepancies in land use? Well, this is the opportune time for you to strike the chord because the government plans to take onboard public opinion for the ongoing revamp of the Srinagar Master Plan--2001-2021, a “controversial draft”, often accused of being incompatible with the ground reality of this historic City.
 In a bid to make the Master Plan revamp “effective and as dynamic as possible”, the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) has come up with public notification in newspapers seeking views from Aam Aadmi to be incorporated in the refurbished document.

THE VIEW INVITE
 “To make the new Master Plan all-encompassing, SDA has decided to seek larger public participation in the formulation of this vital document that constitutes the backbone of the City’s development planning. As such suggestions, inputs, views are invited from the general public regarding any discrepancies in the land use to be incorporated in the new Master Plan to make it a broad-based document for the planned growth of Srinagar City,” reads a copy of the notification by SDA’s Town Planner, Bilkies Jeelani.
 “The suggestions can be made in person, in writing or can be mailed to the Divisional Town Planner, SDA within 15 days from the publication of this notice,” she adds.
 The mailers can be submitted at the SDA’s Bemina office or emailed at: Townplanning.sda@gmail.com.

THE ONGOING REVAMP
 The much-awaited revamp of the Master Plan of Greater Srinagar for 2001-2021 was started earlier this year when the SDA signed the MoU with SAI Consulting Engineers Pvt Ltd, an Ahmedabad based ISO certified firm, assigned the recast work.
 It’s for the first time that a professional consultancy has been engaged for the prestigious task while the development authority plans to initiate framing of Zonal Plans, something critical for the Mater Plan enforcement.

WHAT MASTER PLAN IS?
 “Master Plan is broadly a land-use plan divided into different land uses – residential, commercial, administrative, industrial, recreational and agricultural including various sub-plans,” explains the SDA Town Planner.
 “Under Zoning Regulations, the Master Plan earmarks permissible uses, identifies compatible uses under mixed use to be permitted by the Competent Authority and defines uses that are totally prohibited,” Bilkies adds.

PUBLIC OPINION CRITICAL
 Sources said Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand was keen to make public opinion a part of the Master Plan revamp so that the “work is executed in a best possible way, keeping in mind the aspirations of the responsible citizens.”
 The Dy CM is understood to have asked the SDA people to take “cognizance of each and every suggestion which pours in.”

BOTTOMLINE
 Given the revelation by a London based urban affairs think-tank that Srinagar is among the 100 fastest growing urban centre world-over coupled with apprehensions that the City was heading towards a mess due to alleged ill planning, the Master Plan review is of critical importance.
 Last year the state government initiated the process for holistic review of the Srinagar Master Plan “in a bid to decongest the City, develop heritage sites and put a halt on reckless constructions around”.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 25 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 25 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:00 IST