Due to population growth and urbanisation, Srinagar city is expanding day by day. The areas located in Srinagar outskirts including the rural areas which are located on the tail ends of Budgam, Baramulla , Pulwama or Ganderbal are getting urbanised. The property rates in these areas have gone very high. The land in Rangil, Nagbal areas of Ganderbal district or Mirgund in Baramulla is not less than Rs 50 lakhs per kanal as on date. Similarly, the land rates in Kralpora, Gopalpora or Wathoora in Chadoora area of Budgam are also too high since the last 5 to 10 years.
As per 2035 Srinagar Master Plan, the total area limits of Greater Srinagar have been extended from 416 sq. km to 766 sq. km i.e.; 84% increase from the 2021 Master Plan limits. The areas include Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Cantonment Board and four municipalities of Budgam, Ganderbal, Pampore, Khrew towns– notified as the Local Area Limits of Srinagar Development Authority -SDA. These areas and small towns and villages located between 10 to 15 kms from Srinagar city centre Lal Chowk have been designated as Srinagar Metropolitan Region or SMR.
In this connection, the J & K Government passed an act around 6 years back which is known as the Jammu and Kashmir Metropolitan Region Development Authorities Act, 2018. Under this act, two regional authorities are to be set up which will be known as Srinagar Metropolitan Region Development Authority-SMRDA and Jammu Metropolitan Region Development Authority -JMRDA. These authorities have been set up in Srinagar and Jammu but that is mostly paperwork only.
No full time CEOs ?
There are no full time Chief Executive Officers-CEOs for both the metropolitan authorities and the charge is held by the Commissioner Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department -HUDD J&K Govt. The Srinagar office of SMRDA operates from the office of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir who is designated as Additional CEO. An Executive Engineer posted in Srinagar Municipal Corporation -SMC has been given additional charge of SMRA. There is one Chief Accounts Officer and few clerical staff. As per the preamble of Jammu and Kashmir Metropolitan Region Development Authorities Act, 2018 this law has been enacted to provide for the establishment of Metropolitan Region Development Authorities, for the Metropolitan Regions of Jammu and Kashmir for the purposes of coordinating and supervising the proper, orderly and rapid development of the areas in such Regions and executing plans, projects and schemes for such development, and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. These authorities are supposed to work for infrastructural development outside the municipal limits as per the master plan. The Infrastructure Development Work as per this act means development of infrastructure such as roads, water supply systems and water treatment, sewerage systems, sewerage treatment and disposal, drainage, electricity transmission and distribution systems, solid waste management facility, metro railway systems, piped natural gas, communications or such other urban infrastructure which connects two or more sectors, municipal colonies or villages or which provides for the infrastructure needs of the region. The Metropolitan Region Development Authority shall be deemed to be a local authority within the meaning of the term “Local Authority” as defined in General Clauses Act 1897.
Composition of the Authority
The Metropolitan Region Development Authority established under section (1) of section 3 shall consist of the Chief Minister, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Transport, Members of Parliament in the Metropolitan Region, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Mayor of the Municipal Corporation concerned, Presidents of the Municipal Committees and Municipal Council within the Metropolitan Region. The Chairpersons of the District Planning and Development Boards in the Metropolitan Region are also members of this authority along with Four Members of the Legislative Assembly, representing constituencies falling wholly or partly within the limits of the Metropolitan Region, to be nominated by the Government.
The other members include Chief Secretary, Administrative Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Chief Executive Officer-CEO, Divisional Commissioner and Inspector General of Police of the respective Region, Municipal Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation within the Capital City along with experts of eminence, not exceeding six, as the Government may from time to time nominate from the field of urban infrastructure, public administration, finance, management, urban forestry, environment, engineering, town planning, Vice-Chairperson(s)/Chief Executive Officer(s) of the Development Authorities and Deputy Commissioner(s) of the District(s) falling in the Metropolitan Region. The Chief Minister of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be the Chairperson and the Chief Executive Officer-CEO shall be the Member-Secretary of the Authority.
Executive Committee
The J&K Metropolitan Region Development Authorities Act, 2018 has a provision of constitution of an an Executive Committee which consists of the following members, namely:
(a) Chief Secretary to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir;
(b) Administrative Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development,
Finance, Planning, Monitoring and Development, Tourism,
Transport, R&B and PHE and Flood Control Departments ;
(c) Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police of
the respective Region ;
(d) Municipal Commissioner of the Corporation in Capital City ;
(e) Vice-Chairperson(s)/Chief Executive Officer(s) of Development
Authority(ies) in the Region ;
(f) Chief Executive Officers of Jammu & Srinagar Smart Cities Ltd. ;
(g) Chief Executive Officer Economic Reconstruction Agency ;
(h) Chief Town Planner, Town Planning Organization of the Region ;
(i) Managing Director J&K Housing Board ;
(j) Three members who are experts in the field of urban planning and
infrastructure development, to be appointed by the Government ;
and
(k) Financial Advisor/Chief Accounts Officer of the Authority.
The Chief Secretary is the Chairperson of the Executive Committee and the Chief Executive Officer-CEO is the Member-Secretary of the Executive Committee.
Residents Advisory Council
Under the provisions of this act, a Residents Advisory Council-RAC has to be constituted to aid and advise the Metropolitan Region Development Authority so as to discharge its duties smoothly. The Residents Advisory Council shall consist of the Chief Executive Officer, who shall preside over the meetings of the council. This council will have the following members
(a) Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation concerned
(b) Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of the
Districts falling in the Metropolitan Region
(c) Director Urban Local Bodies of the respective division
(d) Director Tourism of the respective division
(e) Chief Engineers of Public Works Department, Public Health Engineering Department, Power Development Department and
Urban Environment Engineering Department of the Region
(f) such officers of the Authority, not exceeding two, as the Chief Executive Officer may, from time to time, nominate and
(g) such persons, not less than six and not more than ten, being residents in the Metropolitan Region, to be nominated from
amongst resident welfare associations, civil society, labour, industry, real estate developers, commerce and services by the
Authority or the Executive Committee, in such manner and for such term, as may be prescribed. The Residents Advisory Council is supposed to aid and advise the Authority on the implementation of the annual plan of action for infrastructure development, mobility management plan and the plan for sustainable management of the urban environment and make appropriate such recommendations, as it may decide.
CEO with Principal Secretary’s Rank
The section 13 of the J&K Metropolitan Region Development Authorities Act, 2018 says that the Government shall appoint a Chief Executive Officer-CEO for the Authority who shall be an officer not below the rank of PrincipalSecretary to the Government. The Government on a request being made by the Executive Committee, appoints one or more Additional/Deputy/Assistant Chief Executive Officers who shall be officer(s) not below the rank of Secretary/Special Secretary/Additional Secretary to the Government. As of now the charge of CEO is held by the Commissioner Secretary to Govt HUDD but the officer is not of the rank of Principal Secretary to Government.
Powers and Functions of the Authority
The main objective of this act as per section 14 is to secure the development of the Metropolitan Region according to the Development Plan and for that purpose, the functions of the Authority is as under:
(i) To review any physical, financial and economic plan any project or scheme for development which may be
proposed or may be in the course of execution or may be completed in the Metropolitan Region
(iii) To formulate Schemes for the development of the Metropolitan
Region or any part thereof and to execute projects and schemes
(v) To recommend to the Government any matter or proposal requiring action by the Government or any other authority for the overall development of the Metropolitan Region and to participate with any other authority for inter-regional development
(vii) To finance any project or scheme for the development of the Metropolitan Region and to coordinate execution of the projects or schemes for the development of the Metropolitan Region and to supervise or otherwise ensure adequate supervision over the planning and execution of any project or scheme, the expenses of which, in whole or in part, are to be met from the Metropolitan Region Development Fund.
(x) To prepare schemes and advise the concerned authorities in formulating and undertaking schemes for development of social, economic and industrial infrastructure in the Metropolitan Region.
Conclusion
There are many areas in Srinagar outgrowths which neither come under SMC nor other local bodies and these areas are included under Srinagar Metropolitan Region Development Authority. This authority has to execute works in these areas through different executing agencies but that isn’t happening. If the J&K Metropolitan Region Development Authorities Act has been enacted in 2018 why hasn’t this law been made operational on ground? The areas like Nagbal , Pandach, Narbal , Gopalpora , Kralpora, Balhama, Khrew and many areas are urbanised but they lack basic civic amenities. There is no institution that would cater to their needs like setting up drainage systems etc. The Urban Environment Engineering Department -UEED says they can’t work outside Srinagar city and the Rural Development Department has no such facilities available to cater to such demands. Where shall these people go to seek help? The dream of Greater Srinagar cannot be realized unless the Govt doesn’t make Srinagar Metropolitan Region Development Authority operational.
Views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer
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