Planned Urban Spaces

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
Representational Photo

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday stressed on adopting urban planning strategies for planned development, an initiative that if taken forward will make a redeeming difference to the cities of Srinagar and Jammu.
According to the initiative named as the Land Pooling Policy, landowners and developers will pool land for development, ensuring infrastructure like roads, parks, and amenities, with remaining land returned to owners. The policy aims to create sustainable infrastructure and enhance land value, benefiting both the government and stakeholders. The meeting also reviewed policies such as Transferable Development Rights (TDR) Policy. Under the policy, the potential use of TDR for heritage properties, ensuring their preservation while enabling urban growth was also discussed. Similarly, the discussion of the concept of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) focused on sustainable urban mobility and planned development around public transport hubs.

The implementation of the schemes could make a redeeming difference to the land use, infrastructure and transportation in the union territory. More so, in the urban areas of the region. Srinagar needs urgent urban planning. Over the past few decades, Srinagar has witnessed unregulated urban growth. Colonies after colonies have come up across the city, few of which are planned. This growth continues unabated. A forbidding mass of cement and bricks has taken shape in all its ugliness across large swathes of the orchards, green highlands, paddies, swamps, flood plains, canals and of course even on Dal lake. Planned urban growth is not merely about infrastructure; it is about creating spaces where communities thrive. For Srinagar, this means harmonizing modernization with its rich cultural legacy.

Srinagar's modern urban growth is tied up with the political conflict in the state. As the government collapsed in the nineties and the internal migration to Srinagar from the countryside created the need for housing on a mass scale, the land mafia took over. In the subsequent years, the vacant spaces got filled up and Srinagar expanded.

Government also needs to address the public transportation in Srinagar.
The city is now grappling with a modern-day menace: relentless traffic congestion. The latest data reveals that Kashmir recorded over 69,000 vehicle registrations in the fiscal year 2023-24, with Srinagar alone contributing more than 26,000 new vehicles. This surge in vehicle registrations has brought Srinagar's total vehicle population to over 335,000, exacerbating the already critical traffic situation.

To mitigate this situation, a paradigm shift towards public transport is urgently needed. A reliable, and efficient public transportation network can serve as a viable alternative to personal vehicles, reducing the number of cars on the road and easing congestion. The introduction of modern buses, and even metro lines could transform the way people commute within the city. Although modern buses have been introduced, they are not sufficient enough in numbers to address the city's transportation problem. It is essential that the government acts decisively to implement these plans, ensuring a better future for urban areas that have long suffered from unregulated growth and outdated infrastructure.

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