Itanagar, Jun 28: ​A coordination cum interactive meeting of the Department of Urban Development was held at the D.K. Convention Centre here today under the chairmanship of Minister Urban Affairs Balo Raja. Techi Kaso, MLA-cum-Advisor(UA etc), Vivek Pandey, Commissioner(UA etc), Nyali Ete, Secretary(UA), Er. Taring Darang, CE(UD), other senior officials of the Zonal Office and all the field Executive Engineers among others participated.
​In his welcome note, the Commissioner (UA) highlighted the obligations of the UD department in developing the towns and cities of the State to accommodate the challenges of rapid migration.  In this direction, he therefore, advised all the field officers for conducting regular meetings of DUDA and get the Master Plans of respective towns approved which were already prepared and forwarded to them from the Directorate of Town Planning for its proper planning and implementation.  He underscored the importance of proper planning while citing examples of big cities and towns of the mainland, especially of Shimla, where dearth of drinking water is being experienced, thereby compelling the people to leave the city.  
While referring to the directives of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Pandey directed all field EEs to strictly ensure submission of reports & returns and data related to its OA No. 606/2018 with respect to Legacy, Solid & Liquid waste.  The Department was directed to propose initiatives to bridge the gaps in solid waste management under the “ring fenced amount” as directed by the NGT.   EEs were further directed to submit proposals for setting up of “eco-parks” in the district HQs/towns with provisions for O&M for its self-sustenance.  
​CE(UD) presented a detailed PPT on the background leading towards formation of the present UD Department from erstwhile APPWD, its roles and responsibilities, present & proposed strength of manpower, major achievements, ongoing projects, schemes under RE, BE, SiDF, SASCI and other various deposit works.  He appealed to the Minister(UA) & the Advisor(UA) to take up with the government for rationalization of allocations necessitated due to increase in number of notified towns as well as rise in public aspirations towards a better “ease of living” and most importantly, keeping in view the directives of the NGT.
​Techi Kaso, Advisor (UA) in his address stressed the need to focus on effective and practical proposals which are in larger public interest and therefore urged the department and its officers to examine estimates/proposals meticulously before submitting them to the Government.  In order to win trust and get the department’s allocations enhanced, officers right from the field level up to the level of policy makers should strive hard and carry out their duties with a sense of “belongingness”, he added.
​In his key note address, Balo Raja, Minister(UA etc) advised the house to work as a team for achieving greater targets for the department and work towards making UD’s presence felt in all the districts of the State.  The Minister also advised the department to liaise with the concerned MLAs and DCs in case of any difficulties in connection with land availability for waste management etc.  The department was further directed to substantiate with convincing supporting documents, justifications and plans in its proposal for increase in allocation/budget for consideration by the government. He also stressed on the need to accelerate DPC processes for filling up the vacant positions in the department.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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