After failing to qualify for the much hyped Asian Development Bank-assisted program 'Greater Baramulla,' this historic town in north Kashmir has also failed to qualify for the Centrally sponsored AMRUT Project. The main reason for the disqualifications is the delay of the district administration in notifying the master plan for the town. The AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) has been recently initiated by the Government of India to transform the urban infrastructure overwhelmed with over-growing population. Sanitation and solid waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transportation, affordable housing for poor and robust IT connectivity among others are essential features of the project. AMRUT will focus on ensuring basic infrastructure services such as water supply, sewerage, storm water drains, transport and development of green spaces and parks with special provision for meeting the needs of children. Implementation will be linked to promotion of urban reforms such as e-governance, setting up of professional municipal cadre, improvement in assessment and collection of municipal taxes, credit rating of urban local bodies and citizen-centric urban planning. The major qualification for the projects was that towns should have population more than one lakh. In Jammu and Kashmir state, four towns had qualified for the project which include Jammu, Srinagar, Katra and Islamabad. According to Census 2011, the population of Baramulla town was 71,434. The authorities had prepared the draft for the master plan 2011-2027 well in time but administration's failure to notify it has resulted in the disqualification of the town for the projects. As per the master plan draft, scope of the town had been extended beyond existing town limits to contiguous areas of Delina in the East, Sheeri in the West, Ludura in the North and Sangri in the South. The entire area existing within these limits including other adjoining villages constitute the Local Area for the Master Plan. "With the expansion of the town limits, the town could have easily qualified for the twin projects, however authorities failed to implement the master plan with the result desired population for the projects couldn't be achieved," said an official in the Housing and Urban Development Department. In past also, Baramulla town couldn't qualify for the Asian Development Bank project due to authorities' inability to prepare the draft of master plan well in time. The ADB in their communication had clearly stated that the Greater Baramulla project couldn't be carried forward as district authorities had failed to prepare the master plan well in time. After failing to qualify for the much hyped Asian Development Bank-assisted program 'Greater Baramulla,' this historic town in north Kashmir has also failed to qualify for the Centrally sponsored AMRUT Project. The main reason for the disqualifications is the delay of the district administration in notifying the master plan for the town. The AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) has been recently initiated by the Government of India to transform the urban infrastructure overwhelmed with over-growing population. Sanitation and solid waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transportation, affordable housing for poor and robust IT connectivity among others are essential features of the project. AMRUT will focus on ensuring basic infrastructure services such as water supply, sewerage, storm water drains, transport and development of green spaces and parks with special provision for meeting the needs of children. Implementation will be linked to promotion of urban reforms such as e-governance, setting up of professional municipal cadre, improvement in assessment and collection of municipal taxes, credit rating of urban local bodies and citizen-centric urban planning. The major qualification for the projects was that towns should have population more than one lakh. In Jammu and Kashmir state, four towns had qualified for the project which include Jammu, Srinagar, Katra and Islamabad. According to Census 2011, the population of Baramulla town was 71,434. The authorities had prepared the draft for the master plan 2011-2027 well in time but administration's failure to notify it has resulted in the disqualification of the town for the projects. As per the master plan draft, scope of the town had been extended beyond existing town limits to contiguous areas of Delina in the East, Sheeri in the West, Ludura in the North and Sangri in the South. The entire area existing within these limits including other adjoining villages constitute the Local Area for the Master Plan. "With the expansion of the town limits, the town could have easily qualified for the twin projects, however authorities failed to implement the master plan with the result desired population for the projects couldn't be achieved," said an official in the Housing and Urban Development Department. In past also, Baramulla town couldn't qualify for the Asian Development Bank project due to authorities' inability to prepare the draft of master plan well in time. The ADB in their communication had clearly stated that the Greater Baramulla project couldn't be carried forward as district authorities had failed to prepare the master plan well in time.