Srinagar: Training all guns at the government an, Environmental Policy Group, accused authorities of being reason for destruction of eco-sensitivity of the state by ‘accommodating land cartel’, benefiting ‘influential persons’, laws flagrantly violated, encroachment ‘mercilesly allowed’ under the ‘garb of development’.
EPG, a valley based environmental think tank, not only accused government of being mute spectators to the devastation of wetlands, waterbodies, water basins but being one of the perpetrators as well.
“Strict direction were ordered by the court that the status qou of Narkara wetland be maintained meaning it should not be touched, however it is being earth filled by cutting karewas with JCB’s,” Faiz Bakshi, convenor EPG said during a presser in Srinagar.
Narkara wetlands is critical in saving large areas from inundation.
The environmental group claimed that the court is being misled about narkara wetland ‘being Banjar e Qadeem i.e Non productive dry land. This according to EPG is being done to pave way for Indian Institute of Mnagement and other institutions.
“Scientifically speaking absence of fresh water flow caused depletion of ozone which leads to massive reductions in agricultural production as is being witnessed in saffron,” Bakshi said.
The EPG accused government of faulty projects and targetteed Srinagar Master Plan (2000-35) , calling it a bundle of contradictions.
“To notify flood absorption basin like nowgam for commercial pruposes to accommodate land cartel will proe catastrophic for Srinagar and surrounding areas, causing devastation of greater magnitude than 2014,” Bakshi claimed.
In order to decongest the traffic movement in the city the proposal toshift civil secretariat to nowgam is preposterous because in 2014, flood water touched Nowgam four days before touching Srinagar city, for obvious reasons that is a flood absorption.
“It means that seat of power will be inndated before other parts of Srinagar gets inundated,” Bakshi said.
In another instance of Dachigam Naional part a buffer of 1000 meters has been proposed against legal requirement of 5 kilometers, Bakshi said, as per laid down guidelines for national parks, judicial pronouncements of Supreme Court and the National green tribunal.
“This has ostensibly been done to benefit influential persons who have bought huge tracts of land in adjoining areas of Dara, Khimber, Chaterhama on the advice of former VC SDA with the idea of carrying out construction under the camaflouge of eco and adventure tourism,” Bakshi accused.
“Illegal constructions and encroachment are mercilessly allowed and the laws flagrantly violated under the garb of development. Sadly the officials of Irrigation and flood control, public works department, Revenue dept, LAWDA, SMC, Foresst and wild life dept, SDA, tourism development Authorities, mandated to manage and protect the systems are responsible for the destruction by their acts of omission and commission,” Bakhsi accused.
“The water bodies have alarmingly reduced in size and shallow, thus greatly reduced their water carrying capacity. Wular has lost about 40% capacity whereas, Hokersar has lost 4000 of its original area of 8000 kanals and 60% of holding capacity due to the encroachment by land mafia, state government and post flood sedimentation,” Nadeem Qadri, co convenor EPG claimed
“The state has no solid waster management policy to deal with hundreds of tons of waste generated every day.
The solid waste is being dumped in the internationally recongised water bodies like Hokersar, Jhelum besides areas close to populated areas thereby taking heavy toll of public health causing considerable damage to our environment,” Qadri said.
Is there no other land available without wet lands in Kashmir like 1600 Kanals of Narkara for Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Qadri questioned, adding that the areas of Srinagar which were safe during 2014 floods, because of this Narkara wet land, will face 100 times more devastation if Narkara is no more.
“The Wular lake which was one of the largest fresh water lake of Asia spread on 130sqkms. 27sqkm has been filled with the siltation. From last 5 years only 1sqkms has been dredged. Government has not provided any money to the save this lake,” Qadri added.
