SRINGAR: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo reviewed key urban transformation and livelihood generation programmes of the Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD) on Sunday, focusing on Smart City projects worth Rs 7,215 crore, housing initiatives under PMAY-U, and urban employment schemes.
In a meeting attended by senior H&UDD officials and Deputy Commissioners across all districts (via video conference), the Chief Secretary called for the timely completion of Smart City Mission projects in Jammu and Srinagar. Out of 127 projects in Jammu and 161 in Srinagar, only 7 and 8 respectively, remain ongoing. The combined budgetary outlay for these projects is Rs 7,215 crore—Rs 3,581 crore for Jammu and Rs 3,634 crore for Srinagar.
Major projects under implementation include the Tawi Riverfront Development, Oceanarium at Bagh-e-Bahu, and Waste to Wonder Park in Jammu, while in Srinagar the focus remains on the Traditional Souq Market at Batamaloo, Goni Khan Plaza upgradation, Shalimar Canal development, and inland water transport infrastructure.
The performance of electric buses introduced under the FAME scheme was also reviewed. Currently, these buses are generating Rs 11/km in revenue—significantly lower than the national average of Rs 38/km. Dulloo directed officials to take corrective steps to address the gap between operational expenditure and revenue.
On housing, MD Housing Board Shahbaz Mirza informed that around 28,000 houses have been completed under the Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) component of PMAY-U, reflecting 72% progress. A survey covering 1,52,426 households under PMAY-U Phase 2 has identified 46,770 potential beneficiaries, while 20,470 applications submitted on the Unified Web Portal are under verification by district authorities.
The Chief Secretary directed the Housing Board to intensify efforts under all verticals of PMAY-U, including BLC, Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC), and EWS housing. He emphasised proactive engagement with beneficiaries to ensure timely completion of units.
The meeting also reviewed progress under urban livelihood schemes, including NULM, PM-SVANidhi, and the recently launched D-JAY (Shehri) scheme. MD NULM Mridhu Salathia briefed the meeting on the upcoming pilot implementation of D-JAY, which targets occupational, social, and residential vulnerabilities of the urban poor. The scheme aims to strengthen grassroots institutions, support employment, and enhance access to social security and entitlements over the next five years.
Commissioner Secretary H&UDD Mandeep Kaur, CEOs of Srinagar Smart City Ltd and Jammu Smart City Ltd, and senior officials of SMC, JMC and Housing Board were among those present.
