Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir High court has directed the State Pollution Control Board to submit a status report regarding solid waste management as well as water quality and ambient air quality at Sonamarg tourist resort in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation, a division bench of Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey also direct the Chief Executive Officer of Sonamarg Development Authority, Shabir Ahmad Raina who was present before the court, to ensure that proper sewage treatment plant was put in place so that the sewage does not flow into the Sindh river untreated.
Secondly, the court said, the CEO shall also ensure that there was proper waste disposal in so far as solid wastes are concerned and that the ban on the polythene and plastic was implemented in letter and spirit.
The court was also informed that the draft report (2017) of the Environmental Impact Assessment of Sonamarg Master Plan that the draft report has been submitted to the BOCA for their comments.
“We direct the BOCA to expedite the process and give their comments within two weeks. Thereafter, the matter be placed before the concerned authorities for revisiting/ revising the Master Plan, if necessary,” the court said.
Raina, who took over the posting on 14 September, also informed the court that vehicular traffic on the right of the Srinagar-Leh road in the Sonamarg area has been stopped. He also informed that pony trails have also been designated. “The areas where the vehicles can be parked on the left of the Srinagar-Leh road needs to be identified as also the area where the ponies would be available for taking tourists and visitors on the pony trail,” the court said and ordered that a map indicating the designated areas be prepared and placed before it before the next date of hearing in the PIL. “The areas where the ponies would be available should also be maintained properly so as to have proper sanitation.”
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