Srinagar, Feb 7: Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation (NLCO) has welcomed the mid-term review of the Srinagar Master Plan 2001-2021 undertaken by the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) and sought participation of stakeholders in the exercise.
 In a statement chairman NLCO Manzoor Ahmed Wangnoo urged the government to set up an Expert Committee comprising city planners, environmentalists, heritage experts, construction consultants, officers from various line departments and other stakeholders to thoroughly go through the Draft Land Use Plan before putting up this important document to the state cabinet for approval.
 “The Srinagar Master Plan concerns the holistic development of this historic city. It should not be prepared, finalized and approved in a hush-hush manner as has been happening in the past resulting in unplanned and haphazard growth of the Srinagar city. Unfortunately in the past the Master Plans seem to have been formulated without wide consultation with the stakeholders resulting in the present mess in and around the Srinagar city,” Wangnoo said. 
 He said the present generation is conscious of the ecological, environmental, heritage aspects of planned development and want to play participatory role in any such activity.
 “Several discrepancies have been pinpointed by the stakeholders in the Draft Land Use plan that was hosted by SDA on its website, the issue needs threadbare discussions. We request the personal intervention of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Urban Development Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora in the matter so that extensive deliberations are held with the stakeholders and an Expert Committee is constituted to go through the Draft Land Use Plan and other aspects of the Master Plan before finalizing and approving the same for implementation,” Wangnoo added.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 7 Feb 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 7 Feb 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 8 Feb 2013 00:00:00 IST