Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today reviewed the implementation and progress of housing and urban development initiatives, including the Urban Challenge Fund, the Auto Development Control Regulation (Auto DCR) system for building permissions, and ongoing conservation and development works of Dal and Nigeen lakes.
The review meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD); Secretary, Rural Development Department (RDD); Vice Chairman, Jammu Development Authority (JDA); Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC); Vice Chairman, Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), besides other senior officers.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary emphasized the need to optimally leverage the Urban Challenge Fund and directed the concerned departments to target at least 1 percent of the Rupees one lakh crore earmarked by the Government of India under the scheme. He further advised that the identified projects be supplemented with additional funding support from SASCI to ensure smooth, timely, and uninterrupted execution.
Stressing the strategic importance of the initiative, the Chief Secretary underscored the need for careful identification of projects that would contribute meaningfully towards making urban centres sustainable, resilient, and future-ready, keeping in view population growth and evolving civic needs.
Reviewing the implementation of the Auto DCR system for construction permissions, the Chief Secretary directed the H&UDD to integrate the platform with the RERA portal to ensure statutory compliance under the Act. He also instructed the Rural Development Department to adopt a similar online building permission system for rural areas, with technical support from NIC, after finalization of the requisite building bye-laws.
Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD, Mandeep Kaur, highlighted the significance of the Urban Challenge Fund for Jammu and Kashmir and apprised the meeting of the projects identified under the scheme. She revealed that these include augmentation of parking infrastructure, residential housing projects, sanitation initiatives, wastewater management systems, and other urban utility services aimed at improving the quality of life in cities.
The Commissioner, JMC, Devansh Yadav, informed the meeting that the Auto DCR system enables automatic scrutiny of CAD drawings of building plans, ensuring compliance with municipal and provincial bye-laws without manual intervention. He noted that the system significantly reduces processing time while enhancing transparency and efficiency in granting building permissions.
He further added that the platform facilitates online submission and tracking of proposals, defines a clear hierarchy with assigned roles and responsibilities, generates alerts and MIS reports, and features a user-friendly dashboard integrated with a payment gateway and digital signature facility. The system also enables seamless procurement of required No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from internal and external departments.
Secretary, RDD, Aijaz Asad, informed that the formulation of building bye-laws for rural areas is in the final stage and that the department is planning to introduce a similar single-window online system to grant building permissions in rural areas in an effective and time-bound manner.
The Vice Chairman, LCMA, Manzoor Ahmad Qadri, briefed the Chief Secretary on the conservation and beautification measures being undertaken for the Dal and Nigeen lakes. He provided a status update on ongoing works and upcoming projects aimed at protecting and rejuvenating the lake ecosystem.
The projects include biomethanation of weeds and lake waste, installation of musical and high-jet fountains, development of a theme park along the lake banks, and preparation of an integrated management plan for long-term conservation of the lake ecosystem. He also informed about the eco-hamlets project, which envisages construction of sewerage networks and allied developmental works for households located within the lake areas being completed under PMDP and other schemes.
The Chief Secretary reiterated the importance of coordinated efforts, timely execution, and sustainable planning to ensure that urban development and environmental conservation go hand in hand across Jammu and Kashmir.