R K Handa
The Urban Planners in J&K have not given serious thought while revising the Master Plan of Jammu City. They have tried to accommodate the violators who have converted the residential houses to commercial buildings besides increasing the FAR limits adding to congestions. It is regretted that no serious thought has been given by the planners in Govt. or their hired consultants to decongest the city.
If we look backward, it will be seen that our senior town planners were more serious in planning.
Take for example, Central Jail Jammu. Its present location was on the outer skirts of Jammu city about fifty years back. Similarly Ranbir Govt. Press at Amphalla was also on the outer skirts of the city about 40 years back.
The office of Chief Engineer Mechanical on Bikram Chowk-University road was also located outside the city. Similarly the stores of mechanical Engg. Department Offices of Forensic Laboratory and J&K SRTC at Bikram Chowk were also outside the city.
Similarly the office of Chief Engineer PHED, the office of Sericulture on the B.C Road Jammu was also outside the city. J&K Forest Corporation constructed their office on Bikram Chowk -University Road may be because the land belongs to forest department. They should have located themselves outside the city.
In order to decongest the city, the Govt. must think of shifting Govt. and Semi Govt. offices outside the city may be towards Batra Hospital. This area was thought to be developed as institutional area in the SMR Township. Govt. Offices can be shifted toward Nagrota, Jagti side of national highway as well.
In case Central Jail and Ranbir Govt. press are shifted from Amphalla, a huge parking lot can be created. The buildings of these two institutions have lived their life and there is no harm in case these two buildings are demolished. Of course, construction of new complexes will cost hell of money but spending money to create new assets outside the city and developing parking lots are worth, considering the parking problems at Kachi-Chawni, Dhountly areas.
Similarly, the buildings of Chief Engineer Mechanical, Mechanical Engg. Stores, SRTC building and office of Forensic Laboratories have lived their life and need to be shifted outside the Jammu city and these prime huge patches of land can be given to Jammu university for expansion and development of education hub.
There is no justification of keeping the offices of Chief Engineer PHED, and Sericulture Department on B.C Road. Small parking hubs can be created at these sites.
During year 2000, there was proposal to construct a parking lot over the bus stand on B.C Road. A lot of work was done and a good number of plans were prepared and finally the parking lot has been constructed by JDA.
Commercial complex has also been constructed over the parking lot in the bus stand. The author is opposed to the idea of creating any commercial complex because the addition of commercial complex shall further add to car parking requirements and will further congest the city. It is wrong to think that all the infrastructure projects should be self financing. The idea, of developing commercial space because the money is not available is bad. By creating commercial floors, besides adding to parking load, bottlenecks will be created at Indira Chowk, the entry and exit of the complex. The existing road will not be able to take increased load of traffic entering into and going out of commercial plaza Complex. Besides by creating commercial floors there will be additional requirement of electricity and water. Sewerage, sewage, solid waste and air and noise pollution will also increase. Perhaps, JDA has not thought of these additional loads nor have they consulted various lines Department like PDD, PHED, Sewerage Department and Pollution control Board. UT Government should take steps to address the issue and drop the proposal of using top two floors as commercial plaza and using this one lac sq ft area as emergency ward of the medical college in consultation with medical college experts. The existing emergency ward at medical college is over loaded,If this is not approved by medical college authorities ,the area can be put to use for some other public use.
We have to take into consideration broader outlook of every project. It is proposed that over the roof of the parking floor at Bus stand a huge landscape area should be created in order to give a lung to the city and improve the aesthetic of this 30 Kanals of land. We should think of setting up solar system over the roof top which will be able to meet some of the requirement of electricity The bus stand should be shifted from the heart of the city.
Why the office of Director Accounts and Treasuries at exchange road is located in the center of the city. This office also needs to go out. There may be many more government offices in the congested city which should be moved out.
Now let us come to the residential colonies like Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Trikuta Nagar, Channi Himmat, Roop Nagar, Bakshi Nagar. A good number of offices of government and semi government agencies or located in residential houses in these colonies causing nuisance for the residents of these colonies. One of the reasons of Bahu Plaza Shopping Complex not picking up is unauthorized change of land use in residential colonies like Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Trikuta Nagar, Channi Himmat and adjoining areas. The Municipal Corporation is solely responsible for this as the corporation has totally shut its eyes on conversion of residential houses to commercial complexes like shops, restaurant, banks, insurance companies, commercial Offices etc. They all need to be moved out without any delay and the mixed land use approval in the master plan 2032 needs to be withdrawn.In most of the buildings the entire plot is being used as commercial and even the setbacks have been encroached and shops have come over there.
The parking at the Gole Market Gandhi Nagar being planned by ERA and government is also ill-conceived. Are we trying to reward the violators of Master Plan who have converted the residential houses into shops thereby causing lot of inconvenience to the people of the locality? Perhaps this cannot be reversed at this stage but the planners should ensure that green round-about is not disturbed and parking lot if at all is to be created should be underground. There has to be a blanket ban on conversion of residential houses in these colonies and for that an up to date status report should immediately be prepared with photographs of each building. Such data should be transferred to GIS maps and data sheets. Such records should be locked so that no one is able to tamper them.
A proposal is going on in Housing Board to demolish the single story government residential bungalows at Gandhi Nagar into multistoried buildings. Have they thought that conversion of single storey house to a multistory building will add to parking requirement, potable water and electricity requirement? Besides drainage, solid waste management and sewerage requirements will also increase. Traffic load shall also increase. Gandhi Nagar hospital road cannot take extra traffic load.
The complex of Gandhi Nagar Hospital is now fully choked with new buildings constructed in the complex leaving no space for parking. Has the Health Department got the plan approved from Municipal Corporation? Definitely not.
A huge multistoried flatted accommodation has come up in extension sector-3 of Trikuta Nagar. The plan has been approved by Municipal Corporation. The plan has been violated and the corporation has shut their eyes on the violation of setbacks. The parking space has not been adequately kept. No plan for disposal of solid waste, drainage and sewerage has been prepared and implemented.
After spending crores of rupees, High Court and sub ordinate Courts have come up at Janipur area but the planners have not thought of transportation problems for the Judiciary, advocates and the public. There is a need to seriously consider construction of fly over to the court complex, one Limb of which could be taken up to Roop Nagar.
There is need of carving out a bye pass on Satwari- Mira Sahib Road so that the vehicles going to the R S Pura side can take that route. This will decongest the road at the exit gate of the Airport. Alternatively, the fly over from Bikram Chowk should be extended beyond airport incase fly over near the airport does not cause security threat to airport and nearby army area.
Fly over from Shakuntla Cinema to Dental College was conceived about ten years back but later on, the proposal was shelved. UT Govt. and ERA should go ahead with the proposal in order to decongest Rehari-Chungi crossing.
Alternate road from Jewel chowk behind stadium, Science College along river Tawi could be thought in order to decongest science college road right up to Talabtillo.
Complex of SRTC exist just adjoining Kala Kendra. Why SRTC is so adamant that they are not shifting from the heart of city to already allotted land at Transport Nagar?
The ware house should immediately be shifted towards Vijaypur and the old buildings of Nehru Market should be demolished and the shopkeepers in the Nehru market should be rehabilitated on the outskirt of the city as there is hardly any retail business in these shops which necessarily need to be in the city. Having done so, the entire area behind hotel Asia up to river Tawi should be developed as green belt having lawns, ornamental plantation, spiritual and yoga center without any building. This area will also serve as morning and evening walking belt. It will be a sort of leisure and recreational centre.
Presently the Govt. is contemplating to shift some of the offices in the city to this warehouse area. Government Offices can always be shifted outside the city towards Batra Hospital or Nagrota and Jagti area on national highway. Let us not prepare short term plans and proposals.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel