Jaipur: Residents of more than 500 villages across 17 tehsils brought under Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) limits are struggling to obtain routine civic clearances, with the absence of local offices forcing them to travel long distances to Jaipur for approvals.Under the proposed Master Plan 2047, the JDA area has expanded from 2,940 sq km to around 6,000-6,500 sq km, bringing 712 additional villages into its fold. However, no zonal or local offices have been established in the newly included areas, leaving residents dependent on the JDA headquarters for building-plan approvals, land-related permissions and other clearances.Ashok Kumar Meena, panchayat pradhan of Bassi, said gram panchayat lands across Bassi tehsil had been entered in JDA records, shifting responsibility for basic permissions to the authority.“Earlier, villagers approached panchayat offices. Now they must go to JDA for basic permissions. There is no JDA office near Bassi, forcing people to travel long distances. The online system is neither foolproof nor familiar to villagers,” he said.The problem is particularly acute in Shahpura and Chomu, where residents said they had to travel 40-60 km to reach the JDA headquarters. Local representatives said repeated requests to the authority for easier access had yielded little response.“Despite several requests from villagers and panchayats, there has been no response. This will become an important issue in the panchayat elections,” said Bassi Congress MLA Laxman Meena. The sarpanch polls for the village panchayats in Jaipur district are scheduled today.The expansion has triggered concerns in rural areas bordering Jaipur, where residents say inclusion in JDA limits has increased compliance requirements without ensuring comparable urban services. The lack of nearby offices has added to the cost and inconvenience of obtaining routine permissions.JDA officials attributed the delay in establishing local offices to an interim stay imposed by Rajasthan High Court in March on construction activity in newly included villages.“We are trying to convince the high court and resolve the issue as soon as possible,” a JDA official said.
