Time for a major surgery in Sainik Colony Jammu

Col Shiv Choudhary (Retd)
A soldier dreams of a good quality of life, permanent address and a place post retirement. Thus it becomes important for all soldiers to live in a society which develops at a pace that catches up with the changing needs. Such a society should also cater to true expectations of its members and constantly evolve itself to provide an eco-system that matches with the aspirations of maximum residents. To this end, the Government was benevolent enough in suitable allocating land to the soldiers’ community in seventies. Sainik Colony Jammu located over this piece of land is one such respectful and inspiring abode for soldiers’ fraternity.
The visionary who perceived the very idea of having such a planned colony and processed and finally succeeded in executing the physical layout of the colony deserves kudos. 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 from time to time were charged with the authority to protect it.
Sainik Colony today is more famous for a ‘free for all’ approach by anyone and everyone as per one’s power, influence, greed, 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 one’s desire of violations, encroachments and infringements of loosely laid rules with total impunity. The absence of an elected Management Committee and physical presence of Government appointed administrator only fastens the pace of mismanagement. One wonders where the controlling, anti-encroachment authorities and agencies were, and currently are.
This colony used to surprise every visitor with its widely planned peripheral, as well as internal roads and large number of sectoral sprawling parks which is fast narrowing and disappearing today. Erecting of personal steel grill outside the plots to reduce 60/40 feet road to 30/20 feet, 30 feel road to near 15 feet, making flower beds and garden outside those grills and community parks are only too baffling. The wider the authorized road outside the house or shop, the larger is the encroachment by different means. These roads are faster turning into narrow lanes and by-lanes. The steel grills were only needed to protect new plants for a limited time.
One does not have to be a super cop or an anti-encroachment sleuth to observe the extent and magnitude of brazen violations of colony by-laws or misuse of colony land seen over the years. Sadly, the same continues unabated in full public glare. The Government officials responsible for the colony and its sacrosanct Sainik character don’t appear to be concerned at all with continuous deterioration. One simply needs to drive through it to know its current fate with multiple modes of encroachments and unauthorized extensions in the form of cemented and steel structures around and in front of almost all shops, houses, parks, four walls, dumps of private building material on the roads, extensive commercial use of residential plots, motor workshops, commercial vehicles and heavy machineries parked all over posing risk of accidents to residents. To cap it up, there is an array of unhygienic and heath hazardous fast food, sweets, vegetable and confectionary joints, hawkers and rahris operating all over.
There have also been major changes made in the original master plan and design of the colony over the years. These include carving out numerous extensions for plots and commercial sites out of land which was once specifically earmarked for parks, green belts, sectoral parking, schools and bridges. Authorized staff just needs to dig out the original plan and compare to appreciate the volumes of manipulations. The list of violations, compromises, diversion and corner cutting, is indeed endless.
Due to certain existing limiting clauses specifically applicable during sale, purchase and registration of plots and shop sites of this colony, the colony looks to have become a money dumping site actively controlled by the riches and property dealers. The prices are sky rocketing far beyond the legitimate sources of income of serving and retired employees. It is practically ruled by a handful of private individuals.
Today, everyone claims to have right over any amount of land by extending personal steel grills and railing outside. Placing private DG sets along the roads outside the boundary of the houses/ shops, establishing individual religious places, extended parapets, extension of drive ways obstructing the common traffic, erecting steel shelters, extending house/ garage ceiling on the road and creating personal lawns out on the parks against existing norms, are the order of day.
There exists no firm plan for sewage, sanitation and disposal of waste. The water supply remain pathetic after near five decades and road to some pockets are still eluding them. A huge dedicated fully constructed market remains unused for years due to litigation by influenced ones. An originally planned slot for a private hospital aimed at providing medical facilities to the ex-service men is being threatened and sabotaged by another lobby for political gains. The old electric poles replaced by new power lines still stand all over. Politically, colony is mired in two political constituencies. It looks as if Sainik Colony is no one’s baby today.
Needless to mention about good or bad financial health of this colony. Suffice to say everything is just not honky dory about this either. An investigation may open a curious paradise for honest auditors. Anyone who raises a genuine voice is confronted with frequented stay order and personal confrontations. I, as a writer of this piece may be no exception too.
Security and health hazards are other issues since a large number of plots continue to be lying vacant with or without boundary walls thereby posing a huge security threat. The labour class occupying these plots is a potential source of unhygienic environment, open defecation, ill health and unverified backgrounds and two major army cantonments located adjacent to it. There is a need for construction of houses within a stipulated time of three years in all vacant plots or imposition of rental for unutilization of plots. This will avoid stray cattle nuisance too.
Frequent postponing of elections for years to constitute Management Committee or Residential Welfare Committee is a major stumbling block. Well meaning members if elected in the past, have been evicted by lobbies through conspiracy, groupism and much needed missing official support. As a result, many genuine allotees continue to be denied allotted plots while the sale and purchase of same plots actually meant for Sainik fraternity goes unabated. The fundamental provision of only transfer of plots, and not their sale have since been thrown to the wind. Positioning Government official as an administrator from time to time in the absence of elected committee is neither a solution, nor it has made any difference to the unabated violations.
There is another serious issue of extremely restricted single entry/ exit access to this huge colony and fast residential developing areas in its north and north east. Traffic snarls are frequent and durable even today with the current flow of traffic, population and education institutions. The likely worst scenarios can be anyone’s guess. One may call it a lack of foresight and efforts or sheer helplessness, but there is an urgent need to find a permanent solution by immediately taking few steps like: (A) Having an under pass for inward and outward movements from the NH, (B) Improvement of existing dilapidated two roads under the railway line connecting Greater Kailash in the south and connecting arterial roads existing in Sector A, B and C of Sainik colony, (C) opening of NH second under pass under the rail line pending since last 25 years and, (D) Formally defining two roads by the revenue and municipal authorities beyond Heritage School to Shiva Palace and Ratnuchak area in the east. Jammu Municipal Corporation and state administration needs to promptly look into these maladies with all seriousness.
The Lt Governor is urged with all sincerity and earnest to kindly save this abode by: (A) Ordering of election of Residential Welfare Society not held since long, (B) Cancellation of illegal membership, (C) Auditing of accounts, (D) Fixing responsibility for missing over 100 files pertaining to plots and shops and consequential loss of colony land, (E) Reasons for changing originally approved plan, and (E) Bulldozing all encroachments, construction and structures. None else has the sagacity and power to understand the prompt need to cleanse this bungling. Understandably none else would ever intervene too.
Residents are fortunate to live in an area that was only too well-designed and laid-out compared to any other colony in north 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. The then Government deserved full credit for its magnanimity to allot such a huge chunk of land to the soldier’s fraternity. Have we ever analyzed what has stopped our prestigious and pristine society from being good to great during the last five decades?
The colony has become “free for all” den for anyone to infringe rules and laws for personal benefits thereby demolishing the very aim of this colony. I as a law abiding citizen feel, that with the prompt personal intervention of Government machinery under the leadership of the Lt Governor, its further erosion must be checked. Absence or delay in much needed action will only erode it further. It will be a befitting tribute if a statue of the visionary soul who conceived and succeeded in designing this living abode is installed at a prominent place than usual PR ribbon cutting ceremonies and personal promotion of certain people.
Time to take a Clarion Call.
(shivchoudhary2@gmail.com).