Colonel Shiv Choudhary (Retd)
A soldier dreams of a good quality of life, permanent address and a place post retirement. It is as significant as the ones’ living style itself. It is important for everyone to live in a society that develops at a pace that catches up the changing needs. Such a living society should also cater to true expectations of its members and evolve itself to constantly provide an eco-system that matches with the emerging life styles changes of people. To this end, the Governments of the day have been considering and allocating land to the soldiers’ community. One such colony under the respectful and inspiring name of Sainik Colony Jammu came in existence during early seventies.
The visionary who perceived the very idea of having such a planned colony, struggled processed, succeeded and finally executed the physical layout of the colony deserves kudos by one and all. Sadly, the visionary and more important the rock solid foundation and road map, he laid for coming generations, has been thrown to the wind by the very people who were charged with the authority to protect it. This colony today is more famous for a ‘free for all’ approach by anyone and everyone as per ones whims and desires.
The Sainik “character” of the colony has been Compromised by inactions
and Incorrect Decisions from time to time by various Elected Management Committees and Government Appointed Administrators
There is just no hold bar to execute ones desire of violations, encroachments and infringement of loosely laid rules. One wonders where the controlling, anti-encroachment authorities and agencies are.
One does not have to be a super cop or an anti-encroachment sleuth to know the extent and magnitude of brazen violations of colony by laws or land use seen over the years. The government officials responsible for the Colony and its sacrosanct character of Sainik colony don’t appear to be really concerned with its overall deterioration. One simply needs to just drive through to see the Sainik colony to know its fate. One can easily see extensions of almost all shops, dumps of salable building material outside on the roads, extensive commercial use of residential plots, motor workshops, unplanned parking of commercial vehicles and heavy machineries posing risk to walkers and potential traffic accidents, and running of arrays of unhygienic and heath hazardous fast food, sweets, veg and confectionary joints, hawkers and raheris.
This colony used to surprise every visitor with its wide peripheral, as well as internal roads and large number of sectoral sprawling parks that is not the case today. Erecting of steel grill outside the plots to make a 60/40 feet road to look as 30/20 feet only is baffling. The wider the available road space, the bigger the encroachment through steel grills and guarded personal plantations. These roads are faster turning into narrow lanes and by-lanes. These steel grills were only needed for protection of growing trees but not after certain time. Planting trees over and outside the unauthorized steel grills, installing DG sets outside owned plots/defined boundaries causing noise pollution and disturbances to the neighbors, establishing of individual religious places, extended parapets and dumps of building material obstructing the common traffic, erecting steel shelters on the roads, extending house/ garage ceiling on the road, creating personal lawns out of the parks and constructing multi storied building against existing norms are the order of day. There exists no plan for sewage, sanitation and disposal of waste. The new power lines and transformers laid 15 months back have not been connected to the houses. It looks as if Sainik colony is no one’s baby anyone.
There have also been major changes made in the original master plan and design of the colony over last few decades. These include carving out numerous extensions for plots and commercial sites out of land which was once specifically earmarked for parks, green belts, sector wise parking slots, schools and bridges. Government authorities need to just dig out the original plan and compare without much ado and technicalities to appreciate the volumes of manipulations. The list of violations, compromises, diversion, shortcuts, and favoritism is endless.
There is another very serious issue of extremely restricted single entry/ exit access to this huge colony and fast residential developing areas in its north and northeast directions. Traffic snarls are frequent and durable even today with the current number of vehicles, population and edu. institutions. The likely scenarios can be anyone’s guess. One may call it a lack of foresight and efforts, but permanent solution lies in having two under passes for separate inward and outward movements. Improvement of existing dilapidated road under the railway line to Greater Kailash can ease lot of pressure. Similarly, formally defining of the road by the revenue and municipal authorities beyond Heritage School to Shiva Palace and Ratnuchak area can also help a lot. Opening of the two ways NH under the railway track can also give much relief for outward traffic. Needless to mention about good or bad financial health of this colony; however, everything is just not honky dory about this either. An investigation may open a curious paradise of misappropriations. Anyone who raises a genuine voice is confronted with frequented stay order and personal confrontations.
Due to existing clause of no circle rates or actual price required to be endorsed during any sale/ purchase and eventual registration, this colony looks to have become a money dumping site actively controlled by the property dealers. The prices are sky rocketing to the extent of minus plus Rs 1.5 cr for a plot of 1 kanal; far beyond the legitimate sources of income of serving and retired soldiers and civilian government employees. It is practically ruled by a handful of private individuals as their legitimate business in its literal sense. Well meaning and honest members if ever elected in the management committee, are evicted by the same lobby through conspiracy, groupism and much needed official support. As a result, even many genuine allotees continue to be denied plots on ground. A large number of plots continue to be lying vacant with or without even boundary walls thereby posing a huge security and health risk with two major army cantonments adjoining it. There is a need for construction of houses within a stipulated time of say 3-5 years in all vacant plots or imposition of monthly rental to the government for vacant plots. Jammu Municipal Corporation in consultation with the concerned Advisor to the Governor needs to promptly look into these maladies with all seriousness which this Colony deserves.
Frequent postponing of elections for years to constitute management committee is yet another stumbling block. Positioning government official as its administrator due to non holding of management committee election makes no difference either to the unabated violations. A glance at the pathetic roads reflects as if living in early seventies. In fact, in certain segments, road was never constructed. A huge dedicated fully constructed market remains unused for years. Politically, colony is mired in two political constituencies. The bench marking of the extent and quality of road conditions appears to be done by a look at the 100 mtr patch constructed near our hero and martyr Major Babbar Chowk.
Residents are fortunate to live in an area that was only too well-designed and laid-out compared to any other colony in India. In fact, the residents of this colony must salute the wisdom of those who dreamt, conceived, planned and worked tirelessly to acquire the land and mapped the colony on the lines of the City Beautiful called Chandigarh. But is that enough or are we anywhere near that? Have we ever analyzed what is it that has stopped our prestigious and pristine society from being good to great during the last four decades? I feel there is a prompt need for the HE, the Governor, to look into stated bungling of the past. None else has and none else would intervene. It is becoming “free for all” den for anyone except for the people and purpose for which the government had once shown its magnanimity in giving this land. I as a law abiding citizen feel, that with the prompt intervention of government machinery, its further erosion needs be checked. It is also urged to install a statue of the visionary soul who conceived and succeeded in designing this living abode rather than frequent and usual PR ribbon cutting ceremonies and personal promotion of certain people.
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