KISHTWAR: The District administration Kistwar is working out a cleanliness, maintenance and preservation plan for the historical Chowgan Ground.
In this regard, Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma chaired a meeting with officers of stakeholder departments and representatives from Save Chowgan Association, a local NGO, Beopar Mandal, Cricket Association and other stakeholders.
At the outset, a detailed PowerPoint presentation was given by President of the Save Chowgan Association Dr. Rajesh Shan, highlighting the present condition of the Ground and the challenges related to cleanliness, waste management, regulation of vending activities, restoration of damaged infrastructure and restricting littering, garbage throwing and other uncivil activities affecting the sanctity and upkeep of the historic green space.
The meeting laid emphasis on developing Chowgan as a clean, green and well-managed public space, while also fostering a strong civic sense and greater community participation in its upkeep.
The Deputy Commissioner directed that a No-Plastic Zone would be enforced in Chowgan Ground and its adjoining areas.
The DC directed the Municipal Council to coordinate with the Police, Pollution Control Board and concerned authorities to undertake measures for seizure of banned polythene. “Establishments found violating the prohibition will be dealt with as per rules, while individuals carrying banned polythene will also face strict fines,” he said adding that before enforcement, a time period of one week will be given to promote the initiative and generate awareness among the public.
The meeting also discussed strengthening waste disposal and cleanliness arrangements, including deployment of permanent staff, creation of a regular source of funding and exploration of CSR support for mechanised cleaning equipment, including automatic cleaning/sweeping machines.
To improve monitoring, “Municipal officials will be deployed to regularly patrol the Chowgan, initially focusing on awareness and subsequently enforcing fines for littering and other violations,” the meeting decided. Appropriate signage and banners regarding the No-Plastic Zone and cleanliness norms will also be installed by the Municipal Council Kishtwar and Kishtwar Development Authority.
The meeting decided to restrict entry of vehicles inside Chowgan Ground and regulate or seal the existing gates wherever required. CCTV cameras will also be installed for effective surveillance and monitoring.
The concern raised by the Save Chowgan representation on the presence of unauthorised stalls, rehri/vending activities and other commercial activities within the ground was also discussed. The DC directed to remove all the rehris and unauthorised stalls. “The designated vending zone already notified at Kuleed Chowk will be proposed for regulated vending,” he added.
The meeting also took serious note of reports regarding illegal activities, consumption/sale of liquor and other activities detrimental to the environment and public character of the ground. The meeting also discussed ‘Necessary enforcement action including issuance of show-cause notices and registration of FIRs against violators wherever violations are established’.
The permission for organising cricket tournaments in future shall be granted only after depositing maintenance fee and obtaining NOCs from Police Department, Municipal Council and DYSS Department, the DC directed.
“The organisers will have to deploy adequate volunteers for cleanliness and crowd management, maintain prescribed sound levels and ensure that the premises are restored to proper condition after the event. Organisers will also be required to deposit 5–8 percent of the total maintenance fees which will be used for the maintenance and upkeep of Ground,” the meeting decided.
The DC directed the Municipal Council and Kishtwar Development Authority to ensure that broken boundary walls, grills and other damaged infrastructure are repaired immediately.
Measures were also discussed for preventing fires and other activities that could damage the Chowgan Ground.
The meeting decided to constitute a dedicated committee comprising representatives from Kishtwar Development Authority, Municipal Council, Social Forestry and other stakeholders to oversee cleanliness, maintenance, conservation and utilisation of funds which will be collected as fee or maintenance charges. Representatives from NGOs, sports bodies, senior citizens and the Beopar Mandal and other concerned stakeholders will also be associated with the committee.
The meeting also discussed the proposal to formally register the “Save Chowgan” initiative/council to facilitate sustained community participation in the conservation of the historic ground.
The BDO was directed to explore/propose procurement of two automatic cleaning machines through CSR, while institutional participation in the cleanliness programme was also emphasised.
The meeting was attended by ADC Pawan Kotwal, CEO KDA Kaiser Bhawani, ASP Ops Nisar Ahmed Khoja, ACD Manoj Kumar, EO MC Mirza Mumtaz Iqbal, BDO Ravi Kumar, DFO Mahesh Thakur, DYSSO Jaffer Haider Sheikh, besides other concerned officers/officials and representatives from Save Chowgan Association Kishtwar, Beopar Mandal, Cricket Association, NGOs and other stakeholders.
