A meeting of stakeholders was held in Kathua on Thursday to discuss the modalities for preparing the Draft Local Area Plan under the GIS-based Master Plan for Kathua town and its adjoining areas in the Jammu region.
Assistant Professor Dr Sakshi, representing the Project Coordinator from the Centre of Urban Planning for Capacity Building, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, joined the meeting virtually.
She delivered a detailed PowerPoint presentation highlighting the project roadmap and outlining key parameters for formulation of the Local Area Plan. The presentation focused on planned urban growth, environmental sustainability, improvement in quality of life, economic prosperity and development of efficient infrastructure and public services.
During the meeting, it was informed that Kathua town and its peripheral areas meeting the prescribed parameters would be incorporated into the final Master Plan after taking into account suggestions and inputs from elected representatives and stakeholders.
The meeting was further informed that a comprehensive survey would soon be initiated for collection of vital data required for scientific planning. The identified gaps and issues would subsequently be placed in the public domain for suggestions and feedback before finalisation of the plan.
Speaking on the occasion, Kathua MLA Bharat Bhushan stressed the need to address pressing urban issues in the planning process. He highlighted concerns related to flood vulnerability, channelisation of Kathua Khad, creation of additional parking spaces, decongestion of the main market, relocation of street vendors and establishment of a proper drainage system in the town. He also called for an extensive and data-driven survey to ensure effective planning.
Jasrota MLA Rajiv Jasrotia emphasised the need to consider the developmental requirements of areas adjoining Kathua town to ensure their systematic and balanced growth in the future.
The meeting decided that consultations with stakeholders would continue in a participatory manner during the formulation of the Master Plan.
It was also resolved that a follow-up meeting would be convened after completion of the survey process and compilation of findings to deliberate on the observations and take the planning process forward comprehensively.
