GUWAHATI: The Assam Town & Country Planning Advisory Committee approved master plan for 11 towns.
The committee convened a significant meeting today at Janata Bhawan, with the presence of Housing and Urban Affairs and Irrigation Minister Ashok Singhal, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan and several MLAs.
The meeting approved master plans for 11 towns in the state, including Doboka, Lanka, Lumding, Hojai, Ramkrishna Nagar, Karimganj, Sonai, Lala, Hailakandi, Moran, and Bilasipara.
Prominent attendees included MLAs Ramkrishna Ghosh, Abdul S Ali Sarkar, Kamalakshya Purkayastha, Shibu Mishra, and representatives from various state government departments including the Secretary of the Housing and Urban Affairs Department.
Minister Singhal, in alignment with the unanimous decisions made during the meeting, issued several key directives to the Directorate of Town & Country Planning. Among the directives were instructions to ensure adequate allocation of open spaces, parks, and designated no-construction zones in the urban areas outlined by the master plans.
The minister also emphasized the importance of geo-tagging water bodies, establishing waste disposal facilities away from environmentally sensitive areas and revising the definition of no-construction zones, particularly by prohibiting land-filling in low-lying areas.
To facilitate the seamless execution of these plans, the meeting established a district-level committee headed by the District Commissioner. This committee will oversee the necessary permissions to ensure that water flow is not disrupted during new infrastructure development in urban areas. Members of the committee include senior officers from the Public Works (Roads), Public Works (Buildings), Water Resources, Irrigation, Public Health Engineering Departments, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Zila Parishad. The Deputy Director of Town & Country Planning of the respective district will serve as the member-secretary with local MLAs invited as special members for major infrastructure projects.Minister Singhal also directed to organise workshops and seminars with key departments to promote awareness and ensure compliance with the approved City Master Plans by all government entities involved in urban development.
