Make J&K Housing Board citizen-centric: CM Omar
Jammu, Dec 10: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday called for making the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board (J&KHB) citizen-centric.
Chairing the 52nd meeting of the Board of Directors of the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board (J&KHB) at the civil secretariat here, where detailed deliberations were held on key policy and administrative matters, CM Omar stressed rationalisation of institutional structures, strengthening of financial discipline, and enhanced coordination among departments to make the housing board more efficient and citizen-centric.
He emphasised the timely execution of housing projects, transparency in decision-making, and strict monitoring of timelines.
The CM directed that certain agenda items be reconsidered and revised to ensure greater financial prudence, technical soundness, and long-term public benefit before being taken up for final decision.
He directed the housing board to fast-track project implementation, adopt modern project management practices and ensure that affordable, safe and quality housing is delivered to the people, particularly to middle and lower income groups, emphasising that projects to provide affordable housing for all sections of the society are the essential purpose for which J&K Housing Board has been established.
The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department Mandeep Kaur, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, Director General Codes and Director General Budget, Managing Director, J&K Housing Board while as other senior officers posted outside Jammu participated through video conference.
The board reviewed the minutes of the 51st meeting of the Board of Directors held on June 28, 2024 and action taken on the decisions.
During the meeting, the board considered several agenda points, including proposals for the development of a Mass Housing Colony at Birpur in the tehsil Bari Brahmana, district Samba, and the construction of housing facilities on 41 kanal and 5 marlas of land at Bhalwal, Jammu.
The board also held detailed discussions on the implementation of the J&K Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, 2022, through the J&K Housing Board, engaging legal counsel for court cases and filing of appeals before the High Court in various matters, and budgetary proposals for the financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26.
