Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 8: National Conference (NC) MLC Ajay Sadhotra would head the House Committee formed by the Legislative Council to enquire into the cases of alleged violation of Srinagar and Jammu Master Plans.
Besides Sadhotra, the other members of the committee are Jugal Kishore Sharma (Congress), Balwant Rai Kundal (Congress), Sheikh Ghulam Rasool (National Conference) and Mohammad Ashraf Mir (People’s Democratic Party). The Committee has been asked to present its report for consideration of the House during the budget session in 2013.
The committee has been asked to look into conversion from residential areas into commercial ones in the cities of Srinagar and Jammu in violation of the Master Plans. The committee members have been asked to check whether the conversions are authorized or un-authorized. In case of un-authorized conversions the members have been asked to identify the authority that has given the permission and also check whether the norms have been followed.
The committee members have been asked to suggest ways to regularize/compound the violations and the norms including the fee for such regularization/compounding.
Legislative council chairman, Amrit Malhotra has directed officers and officials of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Jammu Municipal Corporation, Srinagar Development Authority and Jammu Development Authority to cooperate with the House Committee. The Legislative Council chairman has said that concealment of any fact, document or record, or non-cooperation of any sort or obstruction of any kind shall be deemed as a breach of the privilege of the House.
It would be in place to mention here that Chairman Legislative Council had directed for the setting up of the House Committee on October 4 after he was dissatisfied with the action taken against the violators of Srinagar and Jammu Master Plans. The directions came in response to the answer given to the question posed by B R Kundal during the Question Hour.
The Legislative Council Chairman had said that the Government should take serious note of the encroachments that have taken place in the Jammu and Srinagar cities. He said action should be taken against the encroachers so that this acts as a deterrent for the future. He said Government should ensure that the people respect the building plans so that there are no violations in the master plans.
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