Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, May 17: Jammu and Kashmir High Court today directed the State Government to file status report about the installation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in hotels at Tourist destinations and all the major cities in the State.
Hearing a PIL over illegal constructions in Gulmarg, Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice MH Attar directed the State Government to file status report about installations of STPs in hotels in Srinagar, Gulmarg, Patnitop, Katra Jammu, and other major cities of the State.
The Pollution Control Board (PCB) today filed a supplementary compliance report and court observed that the board is at pains to explain that the septic tank or soakage pit is gravity-based, natural and non-functional method of treating the sewage in a biological manner.
“There were no details placed on record with respect to category-B hotels at Srinagar, Gulmarg and other hotels operating in Patnitop, Katra and Jammu”, observed court and directed the authorities to filed status report with regard to these hotels by next date of hearing.
The PCB in its status report said that 72 hotels in Srinagar are connected to the common STPs, while as 13 hotels have their own individual STPs. “The future connectivity of hotels to the common STPs is to be assessed by UEED and LAWDA as it is not known as to how much of sewage from residential area is presently being catered by the common STPs and whether these STPs would be able to cater any further load or not”, the status report adds.
The report also mentioned that on priority action has been initiated against the defaulting hoteliers in Jammu division in phased manner. “The commercial operations of 39 Category-A hotels in Katra and 15 in Patnitop, have been suspended as they were found to be without STPs”, the report said.
The bench sought latest status report with regard to 30 hotels of category-A in Jammu city that are running without STPs and consent from the board.
“The issue concerning the STPs in Government accommodation like Circuit Houses, Guest Houses East and West at Srinagar or hotels for Darbar Move employees and Gust Houses at Jammu have not been furnished completely,” the court observed. The court directed PCB and other concerned departments to furnish status of working of STPs in these places.
The court had directed the Government to ensure that STPs must be installed on the proprietary land of the hotels and no encroachment be permitted.
After examining the report, the bench expressed surprise over the report of respondents wherein it has been stated that after demarcation of land used for installation of STPs the help of revenue department is required.
The court said: “It is not understood as to why at the first instance hoteliers were not directed by the respondents to install STPs on their proprietary land only.”
It directed the respondents to file the status report before the next date after exercise of demarcation.
The court on request of the respondents granted more time to them for completion of Gulmarg Master Plan as respondent counsel stated the Master Plan could not be completed on account of just-concluded general elections.
The court directed the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla to file status report regarding the encroachments by the lessees over and above the leased area and to identify unauthorized occupants of land.
The counsel for hoteliers, Advocate Zaffar Qureshi, suggested before the court that provisions of common STPs in Srinagar may be made at the earliest and, he said, hoteliers in this respect were ready to contribute half of the price.
On this, the court directed for filing of status report with regard to installation of common STPs to the hoteliers in Srinagar and pointing the time within which installation could be completed.
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