JAMMU, Feb 13: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday informed the Legislative Assembly that the Town Planning Organisation (TPO) in Kashmir has just three town planners to cater to 40 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), indicating a severe shortage of technical staff in the department.
In a written reply to legislator Sajad Gani Lone during the ongoing budget session, Chief Minister (who holds charge of the Housing and Urban Development Department) said the ratio of town planner to ULBs in Kashmir stands at 1:12.
The government said there are 40 ULBs in the region — 10 Municipal Councils and 30 Municipal Committees.
Responding to a query on whether NOCs from TPO are mandatory for execution of developmental works, the government said Section 203 of the Municipal Act 2000 and the J&K Unified Building Bye-laws 2021 mandate that no construction or material alteration of any building be carried out without sanction from the municipality.
It also cited Clause 2.18 of the J&K Building Bye-laws which requires NOCs from various departments including the Town Planning Organisation.
To another question on whether the government intends to deploy a resident architect or engineer in each local body, the reply was in the negative.
However, it said the town planning organisation has been reorganised to create a district cadre to support preparation and implementation of master plans for every town.
The reply did not indicate any timeline for filling the vacancies or augmenting the existing workforce. (KNS)
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