R K Handa
Non-conforming use to be shifted from core city to other areas as mentioned in the master plan.
The Master plan proposes to shift Central Jail and Ranbir Govt press from Amphalla to Kotbhalwal and Baribrahmna or Birpur respectively and develop the vacated land as public park.The author is of the opinion that instead of public park this huge chunk of land should be used for parking in order to give relief from traffic jams to road from Amphalla to B.C.Road, from Amphalla to Panjtirthi and Mubarak Mandi and from Amphalla to Moti Bazar via Kachi Chawani. Manda forest is a beautiful area for morning and evening walkers and this site is hardly 500 meters from Karannagar.
D.C.office complex,Police control Room at Parade,C.E PHE office at B.C Road,DIC office, have been proposed to be shifted to Warehouse location.This is ill conceived as warehouse area is now in the heart of Jammu city. Moreover the road from Hotel Asia and road from Bikram Chowk is already congested.Why can not these offices along with irrigation complex at Canal Road,SRT office and office of forensic laboratory and central store at Bikram Chowk be shifted to Sidhra,Majeen and Rangoora where JDA has huge chunks of vacant lands which are prone to encroachment.The vacated chunks of land at irrigation complex,C.E PHE,D.C office complex can be used as parking areas and the proposal if agreed to,will help in mitigating parking problems to a some extent.The author is opposed to shifting of Police Control Room from Parade because about more than 50% of land in control room complex is built up with ground + two storeys and the buildings are in good condition and hence dismentalling these buildings will not be in good interest.
The vacated land of forensic lab, SRT office and office of Mechanical Engineering Deptt should be given to Jammu University for expansion.
The land at warehouses house,Nehru Market along with land of old RTO office should be merged with river front and this huge chunk of land should be developed as botanical garden,yoga centre and walking trails .An open air library should also be established in one corner of the proposed garden where no cell phones should be allowed .It will be an interesting area where people of all age groups can enjoy reading books. (This concept is from Tata Garden in south Mumbai).Nehru market flats need to be demolished along with shops which need to be shifted out side the city.
In the master plan exhibition ground area is proposed for Jammu hatt instead this chunk of land should be merged with river front and a public park should be developed over there. Already a building of Jammu Hatt has been constructed in the heart of the city which is causing lot of congestion on the road whenever an exhibition takes place.
Sewerage and Sanitation
There are around 10 Nallahs which flow from Jammu north and Jammu south in to river Tawi thus polluting the river.No discussion has taken place as to how to terrain these nallahs and where the dirty water is to be carried.This is very important issue which has perhaps escaped the attention of the planners.Although the planners have suggested some water treatment plants to be set up at various locations but the job needs to be taken up simultaneously at all locations,not in phased manner. Only one STP at Bhagwati Nagar too is not working to full capacity not to talk of constructing more STPs. The lake being created shall have all filth incase this job is delayed.More so ,ahead of Bhagwati Nagar STP, the treated water should be carried at least three kilometer down the stream so that the river water is free from pollution as there is scope of constructing battery of Ranny wells down side STP at Bhagwatinagar for meeting drinking water requirement to some extent.The site for Ranny wells was selected by consultants of ERA in 2006.Feasibility of using the treated water from STP for irrigating nearby fields should also be explored.
It needs to be mentioned here that individual STPs set up by hotels,restaurants,industries are not working and are just a show piece of Pollution Control Board.The untreated water and sewerage is being bypassed in to Municipal drains, thanks to pollution control board and Municipal corporation .
Solid-waste disposal
Not even a single land fill site has been developed by the Municipal Corporation.The much talked about land fill site at Kot Bhalwal is very close to residential area and is unfit .All the solid waste is being dumped in nallahs,canal and river.The Corporation needs to be serious. The incinerators installed in private establishments are not being put to use and the pollution control board and municipal corporation is ineffective.
Traffic circulation
Gol Market Gandhinagar
The Apsara road should be made fully pedestrian instead of one way as proposed in the master plan.
Traffic volume survey has not been carried out for the city which needs to be got done on priority and there after transport expert needs to be engaged for preparing proper mobility plan for next fifty years for entire Jammu City.
13.6.1.1 Provisions related to plotted housing
As per Master plan number of storeys are ground + 2 but currently ground +3 are being permitted .The Govt might have allowed and order for this might have been issued but the author is against this for the reasons explained above.
Potable water requirement
In 2007 the consultants of ERA had proposed battery of ranny water down stream Bhagwati nagar on the bank of river Tawi to meet the demand of water in Jammu west.The planners,PHE,ERA have perhaps lost sight of this proposal which is a cost effective proposal as it will not require any filtration plant.
WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM:
The existing water distribution system is like branches of a tree with multiple connections in the same pipe resulting in ,tail enders not getting water with required pressure. Consultants of Era in 2006 had proposed water distribution by loop system whereby each house hold shall get water at the same pressure but no one in PHE Deptt has thought of starting loop system of distribution although 19 years have lapsed since then.Most of the pipes are in the drains resulting in dirty water entering the leaking pipes.After ERA replaced some pipes ,no concrete action has been taken by Govt for replacing old leaking pipes in other areas.Something should have been initiated there after.Master plan has not drawn any programme in this subject.JDA the regulating authority should have taken a lead role by taking up matter with PHED through housing and Urban Development Deptt.
INDUSTRIES
Instead of industries coming near main towns and along highways ,they should be set up in far flung rural areas.To do that Govt will have to create infrastructure for meeting the requirement of industries .This will help in generation of employment for poor people in rural areas .Govt should give incentives to industrialists opting for rural areas.
Education
Govt should invite private pioneers in education to set up world class Schools in rural areas. GGM Science College and Ranbir Higher Secondary school buildings should be preserved as heritage buildings. Science centre and planetarium should be set up some where in jagti where students from schools can go, see and conduct scientific experiments and watch solar system.
Power and Electricity
In stead of over head cables ,under ground cabling should be done.Although it involves high capital cost but in the long run this will result in lower T&D losses ,frequent power cuts shall get reduced and power thefts shall get eliminated.
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