Abrar A. Mattoo
SRINAGAR, Sep 7: In a blatant violation, Younis Gul, the son of National Conference Leader and former J&K legislative assembly speaker Mubarak Gul had raised a structure on city forest land at Dossani Nallah, Shalimar—a very close vicinity to the famous Dal Lake.
The politician’s son has allegedly encroached a vast chunk of city forest land in an area that is a designated no-construction zone falling under LAWDA (Lakes and Waterways Development Authority) jurisdiction. Furthermore, the area is a protected wildlife conservation reserve in Srinagar.
Pertinently, since the raised structure was on the upper side of Dachigam-Nishat Water Canal that serves nearly four lakh residents of Srinagar City and is designated no construction zone for that reason as well the people in the area raised a great hue and cry over the violation committed by Mr. Gull’s son.
Subsequently, after Kashmir Despatch published a detailed report on the subject, the authorities were finally prodded to dismantle the structure.
But hang on—though it might seem like good news, there is a catch. The demolitions, like the one carried on Mr. Gul’s illegal structure by LAWDA, have rarely been a deterrent to dissuade the people, especially the bigwigs, from resorting to violations again and again.
“These sorts of demolitions carried by LAWDA are purely superficial. The LAWDA officials know that all they have to do to silence the media, the people, and the watchdogs is to beat a few bricks off the rich man’s house or a hotel. And once everything falls silent, the rich man would again resume the construction, and then it would carry on smoothly, because, at that point, everyone feels helpless and gives up. This is the most predominant reason why we are seeing a rampant mushrooming of structures in the no-construction zone in and around Dal Lake. The only way to stop these illegal constructions in city forest areas and no construction zones around Dal Lake is to completely annihilate the reported illegal construction and lodge FIR against the violators. But of course, it never happens” an officer in the government directly connected with the case, said on account of anonymity while speaking with Kashmir Despatch.
The officer further said that the LAWDA officials are in league with the bigwigs in the area, and the nexus between them is deep-rooted. He said that without the patronage of LAWDA officials, it is impossible that the smallest construction would come up in the area. He said that the department has employed hundreds of employees to keep a vigil on the areas, and it is of course, because of their apathy that the constructions are rampantly being carried out in the area.
“The LAWDA officials are in league with the bigwigs in the areas surrounding the Dal Lake; they allow them to raise palatial structures illegally, and often on government land. At the same time, on the pretext of being a no-construction zone, they don’t let the poor people put a single brick on their walls!”
Previously, on 25 July last year, in a show of loyalty towards their duty, the authorities at Lakes and Waterways Development Authority had destroyed the same construction on the same land by the same person. Surprisingly, this year again, the construction came up atop the same plinth that authorities had left untouched the last year.
Pertinently, when the Kashmir Despatch team reached the spot to take note of the demolition, it was found that the plinth had been left untouched again. Not only that, only a few meters away, there was another recent construction, raised by an ex-revenue officer that had been left untouched beyond the destruction to some fifty-to-sixty cement bricks at the entrance of the construction.
When Kashmir Despatch contacted Deputy Superintendent of Police Abdul Aziz Qadri, enforcement officer of LAWDA, the officer said that they were not going to launch an FIR against the involved individuals. “It’s a sufficient action against the encroachers that we have dismantled the constructions that they had raised illegally on forest land, what more can we do,” Mr. Qadri added further.
“Since Dal Lake is the most iconic landmark of Kashmir’s heritage, the human footprint is irreversibly endangering the lake and its ecosystem. Naturally, the construction of any kind – in and around – the Dal lake has been categorically prohibited by the government. Nevertheless, some influential people are securing the constructions of their palatial houses and other enterprises, through deceit and power. Given the seriousness of the situation, it becomes imperative for the Lieutenant Governor’s administration In Jammu and Kashmir to take immediate steps in service of this issue at hand,” Naveed Ahmad Najar, a local resident commented while in conversation with Kashmir Despatch.
Kashmir Despatch had carried a detailed story on the subject recently. The link to the previous story is: https://kashmirdespatch.com/govt-turning-blind-eye-to-forest-encroachments/
