Jammu, Feb 21: Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, will soon have a new master plan on an expanded area of 766 square kilometers for a projected population of 3.5 million as the State Administrative Council (SAC) approved the master plan-2035 Thursday.
The SAC under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik has approved Srinagar Master Plan-2035 along with the recommendations by a committee constituted by the government for the scrutiny of objections and suggestions received from stakeholders, a spokesman said.
Master Plan Srinagar-2035 is a comprehensive planning exercise for ensuring sustainable development of the Srinagar metropolitan area spread over 766 square kilometers, he said.
He said this is the third statutory planning exercise carried out in the last forty-five years to achieve city’s sustainable and sustained physical and economic growth.
The master plan has been prepared for a population of around 3.5 million (35 Lakh) by 2035, the spokesman said.
It has a planning area of 766 square kilometers which stands notified Thursday, including the municipal areas of Srinagar Municipal Corporation and that of Budgam, Ganderbal, Pampore, Khrew ULBs and additional 160 villages as outgrowths in 12 tehsils of six districts — Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Bandipora and Baramulla, he said.
A comprehensive public policy document, the spokesman said, the master plan is in sync with ground realities which show a major shift from an archaic planning approach in terms of its land-use policy, development regulations, and mixed land-use regulations towards progressive planning.
The master plan-2035 enshrines a shared vision for the future of the Srinagar city and recommends specific actions for its realisation, he said.
It is a long-term perspective plan for guiding the sustainable planned development of the Srinagar metropolitan region. It will also be the basis to meet the infrastructure requirements and will serve as a basic pattern of framework within which the zonal Plans of the local area shall be formulated, he added.
The draft master plan was debated extensively in the housing and urban development department, placed for reviews and comments before a panel of experts having relevant subject specialisation and field experience in environment, heritage, disaster management, transportation, urban sociology, urban design etc, the spokesman said.
A series of seminars, workshops and one-to-one discussions were also held both within and outside the state during the finalisation of the master plan, he said.
The technical inputs were obtained from experts which included eminent faculty members of the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi, and Chief Planner, Town & Country Planning Organization, New Delhi.
The master plan-2035 has many firsts which makes it a unique exercise like Unique Development Code, use of GIS technology, Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs), Green Floor Area Ratio (FAR), mapping of all ecologically sensitive areas, Urban Greens, Town Planning Schemes (TPS) etc, he said.
