*Plan confined to statements during past 3 yrs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 6: There is no end to the unrealistic approach on the part of Housing and Urban Development Department towards framing Housing Policy, which otherwise is imperative for promotion of housing and urban infrastructure with special focus on Economically Weaker Sections/Low Income Group beneficiaries besides checking the menace of slums particularly in urban areas.
Not only the previous dispensations, even the present PDP-BJP Coalition Government has maintained non-serious approach towards having comprehensive Housing Policy and the issue has yet not come out of the official statements during the past over three years.
This can be gauged from the fact that during the National Conference-Congress Coalition Government, the then Minister Incharge Urban Development Department, Nawang Rigzin Jora on February 19, 2014 had announced on the floor of the Legislative Assembly that Government will shortly come up with a comprehensive Housing Policy for Economic Weaker Sections and Low Income Group people.
However, there was no follow-up on the announcement from those at the helm of affairs in the Housing and Urban Development Department despite the fact that statements/commitments made on the floor of the House are binding on the concerned department.
The PDP-BJP Coalition Government, during its brief stint before imposition of Governor’s Rule also made similar statement. The then Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Mohd Ashraf Mir in an interview to media on May 19, 2015 had also stated that new Housing Policy was in the offing and official machinery was already on the job.
The fact, however, was that even basic exercise for having comprehensive Housing Policy for the State was not initiated in the Housing and Urban Development Department.
During the ongoing Budget Session of State Legislature, the present dispensation also assured the MLAs that Government will shortly come up with much needed Housing Policy. As a follow-up to this assurance, the Commissioner/ Secretary to Government, Housing and Urban Development Department, Hirdesh Kumar Singh vide Government Order No.146-HUD dated May 20, 2016 constituted a committee to draft a Housing Policy for the State of J&K on the analogy of National Housing and Habitat Policy and Global Strategy for Shelter of the United Nations.
The committee headed by Chief Town Planner, Town Planning Organization Kashmir and comprising of Chief Town Planner, Town Planning Organization Jammu, Additional Secretary to Government, Housing and Urban Development Department, Senior Town Planner, Srinagar Development Authority and representative of the J&K Housing Board was asked to submit the report within a period of 15 days.
“Though the time-frame fixed by the Commissioner/ Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department is over, the committee has failed to meet even once what to talk of submitting the report”, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
“This is not because the committee has not initiated any exercise but due to unrealistic approach of the Housing and Urban Development Department, which wanted to have comprehensive Housing Policy within such a short span of time”, sources said while disclosing that the members of the committee have started analyzing the National Housing and Habitat Policy and Global Strategy of the United Nations.
They further said, “this clearly indicates that even present dispensation has maintained unrealistic approach towards having such an important policy”, adding “while laying thrust on analyzing National Housing and Habitat Policy those at the helm of affairs in the department should have kept in mind that 15 days time-frame would not be suffice to having a draft of comprehensive policy”.
Stating that present Housing Policy is vague, sources said, “the new policy is required to be formulated not only after analyzing the national policy but also keeping in mind the three distinct climatic zones of the State”, adding “there cannot be one parameter for all the cities, towns and other areas of the State as such all the aspects are required to be kept in mind before formulating draft of the new Housing Policy”.
“The Housing Policy is needed keeping in view the changing socio-economic parameters of the urban areas and growing requirement of shelter and related infrastructure”, sources said, adding the policy will suggest medium term and long term strategies for meeting the housing needs particularly of EWS/LIG group which play major role in development of slums in urban areas. The policy will also suggest the measures to promote in-situ slum up-gradation.
Keeping in view the importance of such a policy, the Housing and Urban Development Department headed by Deputy Chief Minister, Nirmal Singh should come out of the unrealistic approach and pay serious attention towards the subject keeping in view its immense importance, sources stressed.
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