Chief Town Planner Kashmir Post Remains Vacant From One Month, Applicants Suffer

Srinagar 30 March (KNB): Chief Town Planner Kashmir post is lying vacant for almost a month now and is impacting the applicants seeking NOCs for their construction works and others in the valley.

One of the offices in Habitat Centre is the Town Planning Organisation, which is headed by the Chief Town Planner (CTP), having the authority of sanctioning the NOCs for the construction works across Kashmir and holds DDO power to help to disburse salaries among the staff employees.

As per the sources, the staff employees face problems getting their salaries due to no placement of CTP for one last month. “Applicants who come to the office for getting NOCs for their construction projects are left despondent as the competent officer to approve it is not there,” the sources said.

The vacant post of CTP Kashmir is hampering the process of fulfilling the statutory obligations like the Public Services Guarantee Act, Right to Information Act besides Grievance Redressal and others as the CTP’s assent is required for the same.

However, the sources further said that the Town Planning Organisation is sometimes given an important government project to be given NOCs for its permission, but if the same happens now, there is no competent authority to give permission for the project, hence can result in its delay.

While talking to Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department Dheeraj Gupta regarding the vacant post of CTP Kashmir and its resultant effects, he said that Iftikhar Hakim, Director Planning and Coordination Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project, is already looking after it, and there is no issue.

The repercussions faced by staff employees due to CTP’s vacant post from one last month as they are not able to get salaries, Gupta said: “No one is being affected, and Iftikhar has been given the charge.” He further said that the salaries would also be given to employees. (KNB)

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