Srinagar, Aug 16: Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed authorities to place before it details of the government and forest land in Pahalgam and its authorized occupation by August 25.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation, a division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta said that the court has passed series of orders in the Public Interest Litigation petition filed by an NGO Pahalgam Peoples Welfare Organization, seeking protection to the fragile ecology of Pahalgam.
“In furtherance to the earlier orders, the Pahalgam Development Authority and the Forest Department shall place on record the complete details of Government land in Pahalgam, Forest land in Pahalgam Development Authority respectively.”
The PDA, the court said, shall also place on record in a tabulation the details of leases granted in Pahalgam, Dates of all leases; Extent of land granted in Pahalgam / property leased; whether the lease is subsisting? If expired, the date of expiry; Date of renewal, if at all; Basis and amount of lease / licence fee (monthly / yearly); Date upto which the payment has been made and arrears, if any; and details of notice(s), if any, issued to the lessee(s).
“We would also like to be apprised about the details of unauthorized occupant(s) and encroachment of the Government land and the Forest land in Pahalgam. In case any legal action has been taken, details of the same shall also be placed on record,” the court said, adding, “The above details shall be filed in tabulations under the signature of the Chief Executive Officer, Pahalgam Development Authority, who shall certify that the same is true and correct.”
In addition, the court directed the Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, to cause a verification undertaken of Pahalgam and submit case-wise full details of the encroachments in the area.
“This report shall be filed before the 25th of August, 2020 after giving advance copy to the Registrar Judicial of this Court,” the division bench said, adding, “Let the Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, submit a report giving a list setting out the details of the panchayats/local authorities in which the Solid Waste Management Bye Laws have been notified.”
