Guwahati: The Assam Town and Country Planning Advisory Committee convened a significant meeting at Janata Bhawan here on Monday and approved master plans for 11 towns in the state.
The towns include Doboka, Lanka, Lumding, Hojai, Ramkrishna Nagar, Karimganj, Sonai, Lala, Hailakandi, Moran and Bilasipara.
The meeting, chaired by Housing and Urban Affairs and Irrigation Minister Ashok Singhal, was attended by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan and MLAs like Ramkrishna Ghosh, Abdul S Ali Sarkar, Kamalakshya Purkayastha, Shibu Mishra, and representatives from various state government departments.
Aligning with the unanimous decisions made during the meeting, Minister Singhal issued several key directives to the Directorate of Town and 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 emphasised 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 landfilling in low-lying areas.
In order to facilitate the seamless execution of the plans, the meeting established a district-level committee headed by the District Commissioner. The 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.
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The Deputy Director of Town and Country Planning of the respective district will serve as the member-secretary with local MLAs invited as special members for major infrastructure projects.
Singhal also directed the authorities 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.
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