Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 12: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today directed for shrinking the time frame of the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Project for Dal dwellers from five years to three years asking Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) to fast track the activities of paying compensation to the affected families and providing them plots at the identified sites.
Chairing a high level meeting to review the pace of progress on rehabilitation project for Dal dwellers, the Chief Minister said that at least 500 structures should be targeted to be paid compensation each year during the next three years alongwith providing plots to the affected families to complete the project by 2015-16.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Urban Development, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo, Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas, Commissioner Secretary Housing and Urban Development, Jeet Lal, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Shalinder Kumar, District Development Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah, Vice Chairman LAWDA, Irfan Yasin and various other senior officers.
The Chief Minister asked the LAWDA to speed up the land filling and development of plots at Rakh-e-Arth where plots are being developed for rehabilitation of Dal dwellers. He also directed the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir to accelerate the pace on the process of finalizing compensation and allotment of plots to the affected families. He said necessary revenue staff should be placed on the job with clear directions to fast track the completion of revenue matters so that shifting of families from the Dal takes place smoothly.
In a PowerPoint presentation the Vice Chairman LAWDA, gave resume of the present status of land development at Rakh-e-Arth. He said the project involves development cost of over Rs. 416 crores while the acquisition of land and structures from inside Dal and drudging of the Lake involves Rs. 356 crores.
Giving details of the development plan of Rakh-e-Arth, he said that out of 7,526 kanals of land made available for housing colony for Dal dwellers, 4,000 kanals would be under plots, 1082 kanals under roads, 175 kanals under commercial offices, 50 kanals under institutions, 438 kanals under nodal facilities, 150 kanals under education and health facilities, 189 kanals under play fields, parks and incidental spaces, 50 kanals for religious purpose, 340 kanals for graveyards, 52 kanals for sewerage treatment and 1,000 as wetlands.
Irfan Yasin said that in total 2,532 structures are being procured in the Dal Lake, of which, 868 have been acquired so far. He said in addition to this 631 structures are also proposed to be acquired from Saida Kadal and Ashai Bagh side of the Lake.
The meeting was told that land mass of 4,453 kanals, 6,255 kanals of watery land under Nadroo and moving land under Radhs and Peechi from Dal and Nageen Lakes is being acquired under the project.
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