Review detects ambiguity in land use structure in Srinagar Master Plan

The land use structure envisaged in the Srinagar draft Master Plan (2015-35) is incomplete as the proposal to put more than 64 percent of developed land under residential use is a “serious policy imperfection flaw”, states an expert review.
These observations have been made in a technical and analytical review of the Draft Master Plan submitted to Srinagar Development Authority by Hamid Ahmad Wani, professional Urban planner and former chief town planner,Jammu Development Authority.
According to the review, a metro city with a land use pattern having more than 64 percent “cannot be dynamic, progressive, economically viable and sustainable.”
“Such a land use structure is even not prescribed to the residential colonies which are purely meant for residential purpose only. Similarly provision for other land uses like commercial 1.49 percent, industrial 1.87 percent and other uses are indicative of serious policy lapse with regard to envisaging the land use structure for a growing Srinagar metropolis and contravenes to the various policy directives of DMP-35,” the review states.
The Master Plan according to the review has also failed to supplement and substantiate “questions raised for envisioning and visualizing city development through appraisal of prevailing condition and setting up tune for future planning discourse,”
“Not only has this master plan on the one hand increased the area of the city from 416 sq. kms. to 766 sq.kms explain compelling desire and requirements for spatial extension to meet the future needs of the city but has ironically retained more than 59.41 percent of the total area as agriculture and allied uses making it virtually its use for no productive urban use,” the review states.
“Bringing lot of agriculture land under city limits is going to add undesired burden to urban local agencies in future. It also proves that extension of city has been merely symbolic and not based on realism of town planning practices. Therefore, land being a scarce, vital, and key urban resource attached with greater ecological sensitivities in Srinagar would necessitate,” the review states.
The Master Plan has also spelt out need for the land suitability and environment sustainability for conceiving the city future planning strategy but the expert review states that the plan has not followed land suitability analysis.
“Master Plan has provided map of suitability analysis adjacent to page 28 where many areas of Nowgam bypass, Mehjoor Nagar, Pampore, down stream areas of river Jhelum adjacent Sumbal Sonawari,Takenwari,Rabitar seem to have not been properly assessed or have been skipped in suitability analysis,” the review says.
The review says in land use proposal despite the susceptibility to hazards some areas have been proposed for intensive urban uses for which these are not apparently suitable. “ For example depressed land adjacent to Abdullah bridge has been proposed for commercial use (here water during floods was above 30 feet), land near Galandar junction adjacent to river Jhelum in the deep meander below the level of river Jhelum proposed for nodal activities, or even for that matter relocation site of Secretariat Complex at Nowgam does not merit earmarking for developed urban use,” the review states.