Jammu, Apr 07 (KNO): Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, held a meeting of the Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD) to assess the progress of major schemes aimed at transforming urban infrastructure, generating livelihoods, ensuring cleanliness and improving quality of life across the urban areas in J&K.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD; Commissioner, Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Corporations (JMC/SMC); Managing Director, J&K Housing Board; Managing Director, AMRUT; Chairperson, Jammu and Srinagar Development Authorities (JDA/SDA); Directors of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for Kashmir and Jammu divisions; Managing Director, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY-NULM/Shehri); and other senior officers.
During the comprehensive review, the Chief Secretary took a detailed appraisal of the implementation of key Centrally Sponsored Schemes, including the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), AMRUT 2.0, and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY-NULM) Shehri.
Emphasizing the critical role of these initiatives in strengthening urban infrastructure and municipal services, the Chief Secretary directed the department to significantly accelerate the pace of implementation. He underscored the need for expeditious completion of projects, particularly those related to used water management, sanitation, waste disposal, and treatment.
With regard to PMAY (Urban), he stressed the importance of removing bottlenecks and ensuring timely completion of housing units. He called for proactive sensitization of beneficiaries to commence and complete construction promptly, alongside timely release of financial assistance. He further directed the department to sponsor all eligible beneficiaries under the Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS) component and ensure rigorous monitoring for early completion of housing projects.
Reviewing the progress under AMRUT 2.0, the Chief Secretary instructed the concerned authorities to fix clear timelines for each project and ensure strict adherence to completion schedules through continuous monitoring.
Earlier, Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD, Mandeep Kaur, presented a detailed overview of the progress achieved under various schemes. She highlighted key bottlenecks, measures taken for their resolution, and outlined the implementation strategy and future roadmap to achieve the intended objectives.
Commissioner, JMC and MD, SBM (U), Devansh Yadav, made a detailed presentation on preparations for Swachhta Survekshan 2026. He elaborated on improvements in door-to-door waste collection, segregation practices, and future plans for source segregation.
He also highlighted the development of sanitation infrastructure, including community and public toilets, Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs), Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste processing plants in Srinagar and Jammu, Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants in these cities, and bio-remediation of legacy waste across urban areas.
Commissioner, SMC, Peer Fazlul Haseeb, presented an overview of the existing and upcoming waste management infrastructure in Srinagar, focusing on scientific waste collection and disposal systems.
Managing Director, J&K Housing Board, Shahbaz Mirza, apprised the meeting of the progress under various verticals of PMAY (Urban), including Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), and Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS). He informed that out of 39,153 houses sanctioned under Phase-I ofBLC, 31,173 have been completed, while 1,791 have not yet been started, with the remaining nearing completion.
He further informed that under Phase-II of PMAY (Urban), around 27,700 applications were received across districts, of which 23,203 have been verified on the ground in coordination with Deputy Commissioners, resulting in identification of 3,011 eligible beneficiaries too.
Reviewing the progress under the newly launched D-JAY (Shehri) scheme, the meeting was informed that the scheme is currently being implemented on a pilot basis in Jammu and Srinagar cities. The initiative aims to address occupational, social, and residential vulnerabilities of the urban poor through strengthening grassroots institutions, enhancing livelihood opportunities, creating social infrastructure, and extending social security benefits over the next five years.
It was reported that 2,56,659 individuals have been enumerated under the scheme so far, including workers from vulnerable occupational groups such as construction workers, gig workers, waste workers, domestic workers, transport workers, caregivers, and others in the unorganized sector.
These individuals, as apprised in the meeting, have been covered under various social security schemes in convergence mode, including Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan, Janani Suraksha Yojana, and One Nation One Ration Card, among others.
Later, the Chief Secretary, under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), launched the Single Use Plastic Challan and IEC Portal aimed at generating awareness about the hazards of single-use plastic and strengthening enforcement mechanisms to curb its usage across the Union Territory—(KNO)