Srinagar, Jan 14 : Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) has a meager staff to keep track of construction activities in the summer capital of the state.One of the senior officials of SDA on condition of anonymity told KNS that understaffing has always remained a serious problem in the department. “There are around 120 posts vacant in the SDA. The vacant positions include around 20 junior engineers, Assistant town planer, junior assistants, Class IV and others. Over the years such levels of understaffing “adversely” affect service delivery of the department,” the official maintained.The Srinagar Master Plan is applicable to a total of 417 square kilometers and out of this 160 square kilometers are looked after by Srinagar Development Authority (SDA). Rest of the area comes under the jurisdiction of SMC.
Sources said that the SDA over the years has failed to stop illegal constructions on either side of Srinagar By-pass which is very limited area. “Huge shopping complexes, hotels, hospitals, and showrooms of various car making companies have come up in violations of Srinagar Master Plan and SDA has failed to act,”.
Sources said that one can judge the failure of the SDA with the fact that over the years there are at least a dozen government offices, including Haj House, Housing and Urban Development Department, J&K State Board of School Education, a city hospital and Forensic Science Laboratory along with many offices that have come in the Bypass in the clear violation of the norms.
Sources alleged that nearly 9,000 structures have come in Srinagar in violation of the master plan guidelines.
“There are 3,000 structures in the bypass area which have come up in violation of the master plan norms,” a senior officer in the office of Chief Town Planner, Kashmir, said.
He said while the violators had sought permission for residential buildings but constructed commercial structures, others had flouted the guidelines for construction of commercial structures.
The state still has no direction on how to develop and manage the city,’ former official of the SDA said, adding that politicians were also to be blamed for the mess as they were are only bothered about their political constituency. “As per the norms, the building had to be 120 feet from the centre of the main road, but it is being allowed to come up with zero distance from the main road only because an illegal building permission was granted,” the former official maintained. (KNS)