Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Border Area Development Conference (JK-BADC), a registered organisation working for the welfare of border residents, has once again reiterated its long-pending demand for the establishment of a Border Area Development Authority (BADA) for Jammu and Kashmir.
Dr. Shazad Ahmed Malik, Chairman of JK-BADC and former Vice Chancellor, urged the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to take a policy decision for constituting a dedicated authority to exclusively plan, coordinate and execute developmental and strategic infrastructure projects in border areas, which continue to face unique challenges arising from their geographical and security sensitivities.
BADC Chairman said that border villages cannot be viewed through the same developmental lens as peaceful urban and mainland regions. Residents living along the International Border and the Line of Control face recurring security threats, displacement during hostilities, restrictions on land use and limited access to essential infrastructure, making a specialised institutional mechanism an urgent necessity.
Dr. Shazad stressed that the proposed Border Area Development Authority should comprise experts from the Armed Forces, Border Security agencies, Disaster Management authorities, engineering departments, planning agencies and civil administration so that developmental projects in border regions are planned with both civilian welfare and strategic requirements in mind.
He also said the authority should prepare infrastructure plans for border villages, including community bunkers, evacuation facilities, emergency shelters, roads, communication networks and other essential public assets. He added that developmental planning in border areas must account for security challenges and emergency situations that may arise in future.