Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a crucial meeting of Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD) to comprehensively review the progress on various works and schemes pivotal to transform the lives of people across the urban areas of J&K.

The significant deliberations saw the participation of officers including Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD, Commissioner JMC/SMC; MD, J&K Housing Board; MD, NULM and other concerned officers while Deputy Commissioners from all districts joined the proceedings virtually.

During the extensive review, the Chief Secretary emphasised on prompt completion of Smart City works that have been ongoing for several years. He observed that many of these projects are in their final stages of completion so it is imperative that we push for their swift conclusion now to ensure the intended benefits reach our citizens without further delay.

Reviewing the housing schemes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) [PMAY(U)], being implemented through the J&K Housing Board, the Chief Secretary called for intensified efforts on completing houses under Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC), Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) verticals. He asked the Housing Board to proactively engage with the beneficiaries to ensure dwelling units are completed within stipulated timeline.

The performance of e-buses, introduced under the FAME project, also came under scrutiny.

The Chief Secretary asked for initiating measures to reduce the disparity between expenditure incurred and revenue realized by these buses plying on city roads in Jammu and Srinagar.

Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD, Mandeep Kaur, provided an overview, informing that out of 127 and 161 projects taken up under the Smart City Mission (SCM) in Jammu and Srinagar respectively, only 7 in Jammu and 8 in Srinagar are currently ongoing. These projects represent a massive budgetary outlay of Rs 3581 crore for Jammu and Rs 3634 crore for Srinagar, integrating SCM funds with convergence modes.

Notable ongoing Smart City projects in Jammu included the iconic Tawi Riverfront Development, Oceanarium at Bag-e-Bahu, Waste to Wonder Park and crucial heritage conservation and street development initiatives. In Srinagar, the focus is on development of the Traditional Souq Market at Batamaloo, upgradation of Goni Khan Plaza, development of amenities along the Shalimar Canal, upgradation of Old Amira Kadal and provisioning of inland water transport.

CEOs of JSCL and SSCL informed the meeting that these e-buses are currently generating revenue of Rs 11/km, significantly below the national average of Rs 38/km for such services.

MD, Housing Board, Shahbaz Mirza, informed the meeting that under the BLC vertical, approximately 28,000 houses have been completed across UT districts, showcasing a robust 72% progress.

The meeting was apprised that 1,52,426 households had been surveyed across the UT for PMAY-U Phase 2, identifying 46,770 potential beneficiaries. Additionally, 20,470 applications have been received on the Unified Web Portal, currently undergoing verification by the respective Deputy Commissioners.

Assessing livelihood generation schemes such as the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM), PM-SVANidhi and department's readiness for the newly rolled-out D-JAY (Shehri) scheme, Dulloo reiterated the government's focus on uplifting the urban poor.

 MD, NULM, Mridhu Salathia, informed the meeting about the impending pilot implementation of the D-JAY (Shehri) scheme. She explained that this scheme has been designed to address the occupational, social and residential vulnerabilities of the urban poor over the next five years. This will be done through interventions including strengthening grassroots institutions, promoting employment opportunities, creating social infrastructure and providing social security and entitlements for holistic development of urban poor found in the areas of implementation of this transformative Centrally Sponsored Scheme.