Three planners for 40 towns in Kashmir: Govt

Jammu, Feb 13: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday said that only three Town Planners are currently posted in the Town Planning Organization, Kashmir, catering to 40 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the division.
Replying to a question raised by MLA Sajad Gani Lone, Housing & Urban Development Department Minister, informed the House that the total number of Town Planners in the Town Planning Organization, Kashmir, is three.
The government said that there are 40 Urban Local Bodies in Kashmir, including 10 Municipal Councils and 30 Municipal Committees, taking the ratio of Town Planners to towns to 1:12.
The Minister also said that under Section 203 of the J&K Municipal Act, 2000 and the J&K Unified Building Bye-Laws, 2021, no person shall erect, re-erect or make any material alteration to any building within the jurisdiction of Urban Local Bodies without prior sanction from the concerned municipality.
“The bye-laws further require No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from different departments, including the Town Planning Organization.”
In response to another query, the government said there is no proposal at present to deploy a resident architect or engineer in every local body at the town level. However, it added that the Town Planning Organization has been reorganized to create a district cadre to support the preparation and implementation of Master Plans for every town. (KNO)