JAMMU, Mar 7: Several years after their creation, the Jammu Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (JMRDA) and Srinagar Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (SMRDA) are still without Regional Development Plans, which are crucial for coordinated urban planning and integrated metropolitan development.
Both authorities are also grappling with a severe shortage of planners, engineers, financial experts, and administrative staff, which hampers their ability to design projects, monitor implementation, and ensure proper fund utilization.
These authorities were established under the Jammu & Kashmir Metropolitan Region Development Authorities Act, enacted by the erstwhile State of J&K and retained under the Union Territory framework following the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019. Despite their legal relevance, the authorities have yet to finalize Regional Development Plans. The draft Request for Proposal (RFP) for preparing these plans is still under consideration by the Housing and Urban Development Department.
“Without Regional Development Plans, the very purpose of these authorities is undermined, as these plans serve as the blueprint for land use regulation, infrastructure development, transport planning, and environmental management in expanding metropolitan areas,” sources told Excelsior.
The Act clearly mandates compliance: Section 15 requires preparation of Development Plans for the metropolitan region, Section 17 focuses on Mobility Management Plans, and Section 19 emphasizes sustainable urban environment management. However, in the absence of such plans, the authorities remain largely dependent on other departments, limiting their autonomy and decision-making capacity.
The staffing crisis compounds the problem. Out of 142 sanctioned posts, SMRDA has filled only five, while JMRDA has nine. Neither authority has a full-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO); instead, Divisional Commissioners have been given additional charge as Acting CEOs.
This shortage has directly impacted fund utilization. Under Capital Expenditure (Capex), JMRDA received Rs 174.61 crore but spent only Rs 58.20 crore, while SMRDA received Rs 192.82 crore and spent merely Rs 33.34 crore. Similarly, under Revenue Expenditure (Revex), JMRDA spent Rs 4.24 crore of Rs 11.79 crore, and SMRDA spent Rs 2.66 crore of Rs 9.65 crore. “Major portions of allocated funds remain idle, even as many urban infrastructure projects await execution,” sources said.
“These figures raise serious questions about the effectiveness of metropolitan planning in the Union Territory,” officials added. The combination of slow progress on Regional Development Plans, severe manpower shortages, and low fund utilization indicates that both authorities lack the institutional capacity to fulfill their mandate.
Sources emphasized that immediate steps are needed, including finalizing the Regional Development Plans, filling vacant posts, and ensuring better utilization of funds, to achieve the objectives of the Act.
The primary purpose of a Metropolitan Region Development Authority is to secure planned development in line with approved Development Plans. The law empowers these authorities to review physical, financial, and economic plans; examine development projects at various stages; formulate and execute schemes; recommend policy interventions to the government; and coordinate with other authorities for inter-regional development and overall metropolitan growth. (Agency)
