Srinagar, Aug 22: Residents of Hyderpora and adjoining localities, including Shah Anwar Colony, Gul Bahar Colony, Gulberg Colony and Sanat Nagar, have urged the Jammu & Kashmir Government to expedite the construction and completion of the long-pending community hall at Hyderpora, saying the facility could meet an important public need while also generating revenue for the government.
Residents said the rapidly expanding residential belt has no adequate public facility for organising marriages, ring ceremonies, community gatherings and other social functions. They said completion of the proposed facility would particularly benefit families who currently have to depend on private banquet halls, often at considerably higher costs.
The demand comes amid a long and somewhat complicated history of projects and proposals relating to such public infrastructure at Hyderpora Bypass.
The specific “Construction of Community Hall at Hyderpora, Srinagar” was subsequently taken up by the J&K Tourism Department. Government e-procurement records show a tender for the project, with an estimated cost of around ₹6 crore, while tendering records relating to the project appeared in 2019 and again in 2020.
On 15 October 2025, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary inspected this languishing Multipurpose Community Hall at Hyderpora and directed the concerned departments to complete the project without any further delay.
The inspection was carried out in the presence of senior officers, including officials from the Tourism Department and other concerned departments. The Deputy Chief Minister instructed officials to expedite the pending works and ensure timely completion of the facility within the stipulated timeframe.
He had then also stressed that the project should incorporate beautification, landscaping, street lighting and other public amenities to make the facility more functional and citizen-friendly.
Senior officials told Ziraat Tomes that the project was languishing as the requisite funds have not been allocated for the project in recent years. They also said that the project might be facing neglect due to other competing priorities.
Repeated attempts to seek information from the relevant officials of the Tourism Department did not materialise till this report was filed.
Residents, meanwhile, said that whatever the competing priorities, the government should now focus on completing and operationalising the facility.
“This area has grown tremendously and there is a genuine need for a public community facility. People have to look for banquet halls far away for marriages, ring ceremonies and other functions,” Mohammad Shafiq, a resident said.
They argued that the facility could also become a revenue-generating public asset. With a large population in and around Hyderpora, Shah Anwar Colony, Gul Bahar Colony, Gulberg Colony and Sanat Nagar, residents believe there would be substantial demand for bookings if the hall is completed and made available at reasonable rates.
They suggested that the concerned department could establish a transparent booking mechanism and charge reasonable user fees, allowing the facility to serve the public while generating recurring income for the government.
“Instead of allowing a public asset to remain incomplete, the government should look at it as both a community facility and a revenue-generating asset,” residents said.
The residents have accordingly urged the Tourism Department and other concerned authorities to undertake a fresh assessment of the project’s physical and financial status, identify pending works and administrative or technical bottlenecks, and announce a definite timeline for its completion.
They also sought clarity on the ownership and institutional control of the facility, including the land on which it stands, saying that such information would help establish responsibility for completing and subsequently managing the asset.
Meanwhile, a separate 2026 Public Works Department tender for an “Engineering Office/Conference Hall at Hyderpora”, estimated at about ₹7.72 crore, is currently listed on the J&K e-procurement portal.
Residents said they hoped the government would resolve the outstanding issues surrounding the community hall and complete it at the earliest, arguing that an asset in a densely populated part of Srinagar should not remain incomplete when there is clear demand for it.
Residents said the long-pending facility could simultaneously address a major local infrastructure gap, provide an affordable venue for community functions and create a regular source of revenue for the government if properly managed.
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