SRINAGAR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Thursday reviewed Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit observations concerning the Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD), flagging deficiencies in urban waste management and calling for time-bound corrective measures.
The meeting, chaired by Surjeet Singh Slathia at the Legislative Assembly, examined audit observations relating to solid waste management in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including gaps in planning, inadequate waste segregation at source, deficiencies in collection and transportation, and shortcomings in processing and scientific disposal.
Slathia said the deficiencies identified in the audit reports needed to be addressed on priority. He pointed to the lack of stakeholder consultation in preparing solid waste management action plans, inadequate assessment of the quantity and composition of waste, and gaps in planning by ULBs.
The committee also deliberated on financial management, implementation of waste management rules, staffing shortages and the need to strengthen the capacity of sanitation workers.
Slathia called for 100% door-to-door waste collection and segregation at source, improved approach roads to dumping sites and scientific management of legacy waste, particularly along highway corridors.
He stressed that public funds must be utilised properly to strengthen institutions and improve civic services, adding that solid waste management projects should be implemented within stipulated timelines and in accordance with prescribed guidelines.
The chairman also called for compliance and performance audits to assess implementation, improve transparency and accountability, and evaluate the outcomes of urban development schemes.
The meeting was attended by legislators Mubarik Gul, Shamim Firdous, Qaysar Jamshaid Lone, Ranbir Singh Pathania, Ch Mohammad Akram, Vikram Randhawa and Tanvir Sadiq.
Among the officials present were Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD, Mandeep Kaur; Srinagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Basharat Qayoom; Jammu Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ayushi Sudan; the Chief Engineer of the Urban Environmental Engineering Department; Director, Urban Local Bodies, Jammu; and the Deputy Accountant General, besides other departmental and Assembly Secretariat officers.
