Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 2: Despite a plan launched to revive traditional ponds in Jammu by the Government, most of them are vanishing fast as the civic bodies have failed to take any step to save them. This was stated by State President, Kranti Dal, Pritam Sharma, here today.
“About 20 years back except drinking, people were dependent on pond water for day-today-activities, but now the pond in our locality has turned filthy, where people dump their household waste”, he said.
“The ever-increasing population has pushed these precious sources of maintaining eco-balance to a premature death. Most of them have either turned into garbage dumping sites or encroached to make way for shopping complexes by land grabbers,” he added.
The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) had announced a plan to beautify and remove their encroachment, but only thing they did was erecting signboard, he said adding that not a penny has been spent to prevent their destruction.
At Gujjar Mohalla Paloura, the area around the pond has been taken over by butchers, who throw waste of slaughtered animals in the water. The pond is in the list of the JMC for beautification, he stated.
The pond has been reduced to just a sewerage pit, he said adding that the Government has done nothing despite the demarcation for the last three years.
He asked State Government to wake up from deep slumber and initiate immediate steps to revive these traditional water bodies to maintain the century old heritage of Jammu and Kashmir.
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