The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday decided to designate locations inside the Union Territory as “strategic areas” to facilitate development of strategically important infrastructure.
The move was approved by the J&K Administrative Council, which met in Srinagar under the Chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor G. C. Murmu.
An official spokesperson said the Lt. Governor gave his nod to the proposal of amending the Control of Building Operations Act, 1988 and the J&K Development Act, 1970 to provide for special dispensation for carrying out construction activities in the strategic areas.
The amendments proposed by the Housing and Urban Development Department will pave the way for notifying certain areas as strategic areas in terms of the requirement of Armed Forces, and in such areas, the regulation of construction activity shall be through a special dispensation, an official spokesperson said.
“The move is aimed at simplifying the procedures and shall facilitate time-bound development of infrastructure of strategic importance,” he added.
The approval, the spokesperson said, had been granted with a view to “reconciling the security needs with developmental aspirations” of certain locations.
J&K is home to tens of thousands of security forces drawn from the Army and paramilitary forces due to ongoing conflict. Scores of defence installations are located across the length and breadth of the UT, especially in hilly areas, and a number of clearances are required from different departments before developing infrastructure for mobilisation and stationing.
