Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 7: With the monsoon season nearing, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has underlined the urgency of expediting the appraisal process of the Tawi flood mitigation and comprehensive river management project, observing that the matter involves serious public interest and possible flood-related risks.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal passed the order in PIL No. 31/2018, filed by inhabitants of villages Barjala and Khandwal through Gurdev Singh.
The Court was informed that the Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (JKERA) has submitted the Detailed Project Report titled “Feasibility and Detailed Project Report for Flood Mitigation and Comprehensive River Management Measures for Tawi Basin” to the Central Water Commission for necessary appraisal.
The DPR is presently under examination by CWC New Delhi, which had desired an online presentation by the project consultant M/s Aquallogus-Oiltech Pvt. Ltd. A meeting in this regard was convened on April 28, 2026.
Advocates S S Ahmed, S S Chouhan and Zulkernain Chowdhary, represented the petitioners. For respondents, Sagira Jaffer, assisting Monika Kohli, Senior AAG, appeared and placed the official position before the court. Vishal Sharma, Senior Advocate and DSGI, with Karan Sharma, CGSC, represented other respondents.
The Court was apprised that appraisal and scrutiny of projects having an estimated cost of over Rs 15 crore is likely to take around nine months, subject to timely response from the J&K Government on observations raised by the Central Water Commission.
However, considering the sensitivity of the issue and the need to avoid any possible damage during the ensuing monsoon, Vishal Sharma, Senior Advocate, submitted that the matter may be taken up with the concerned authorities to expedite the process.
Taking note of the submission, the Division Bench deferred the proceedings by two weeks and granted time for filing of a fresh affidavit regarding steps to speed up the process.
The High Court observed that since several orders have been passed in the matter from time to time since 2018, the authorities are expected to make every possible endeavour to expedite the process so that the court can address all concerns conclusively in public interest.
The matter has been adjourned to May 20, 2026.
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