In the zest to saving the dying famous Dal Lake in Srinagar, among other measures, some dwellers around the lake were relocated to a nearby place known as Rakh-e- Aarath but they feel let down and term their relocation as ‘forced eviction’. The reasons being that the nearby land Rakh-e-Aarath being wetland cannot sustain structures over it built for them since these structures have developed cracks not in isolated cases but reportedly in 90 per cent cases.
Constructed and reconstructed the same houses are posing problems as the land is not fit for construction of residential houses. This fact should have been kept in mind by the concerned Government authorities at the time of choosing the land for relocation of the Lake dwellers. Alternately, this very land should have been made technically suitable to sustain constructions. Besides, the dwellers were facing other difficulties as there were no basic amenities available around the Rakh. Drainage too is in a shambles. There were other ancillary and associated problems faced by the dwellers which should be looked into and tried to be addressed on merits by the Government.
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