Assam’s housing and urban affairs department has taken steps for strict adherence to safeguards mentioned in the master plans for the development of 11 towns in the wake of frequent urban flooding in the state.

The department has issued directions for the constitution of a district-level committee to “ensure water flow is not disrupted during new infrastructure development in urban areas” and geo-tagging water bodies during the development of the eleven towns.

The directives were issued by department of housing and urban affairs (DOHUA) minister Ashok Singhal for the development of the 11 towns, the master plans of which were approved during a meeting of the Assam Town and Country Planning Advisory Council held on August 19.

The 11 towns are Doboka, Lanka, Lumding, Hojai, Ramkrishna Nagar, Karimganj, Sonai, Lala, Hailakandi, Moran, and Bilasipara.

Residents blame the administration’s lack of vision and planning and Singhal is facing the heat for the prevailing state of affairs, especially for the flash flood in Guwahati. Even a brief spell of rain is enough to throw life out of gear in the city.

A source, who attended the meeting on the urban flood issue, said that the DOHUA with the help of stakeholders are trying to ensure the development of new urban spaces should address the problem of flood, waste disposal and protection of water bodies.

The directives, issued by Singhal at the meeting, include ensuring adequate allocation of open spaces for parks and designated no-construction zones as outlined in the master plans, emphasising 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, a statement issued by the department said.

“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...,” the statement said.

Members of the committee would 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 and country planning of the respective district under which the town falls will serve as the member-secretary with local MLAs invited as special members for major infrastructure projects.

Singhal has also directed the hosting of “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.”