Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov 2: High Court has sought assessment of conservation and development of Wular lake for which the centre has provided Rs 200 crore.
High Court has asked the amicus to provide the tentative visit plan of Wular lake in order to submit the assessment with regard to the conservation, management and development of tourism around the lake.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Justice M A Chowdhary has sought a tentative visit plan from the amicus by the next date of hearing.
The visit became necessary as court was pained to notice that the Government has created the Wular lake Conservation and Management Authority for a specific purpose but the Authority is not able to come up to the mark, rather, it appears to have been wasting the money sanctioned and provided by the Union of India.
Court asked the amicus to provide the plan for the purpose of studying the 33 villages that are part of the Wular lake, in order to facilitate his assessment for preparation of the report in terms of previous orders, wherein the authorities have been directed to provide necessary assistance to the learned amicus curiae.
The direction follows that Rs. 200 crore more have been provided by the Union of India for conservation and management of wetland. The report on record mentions that under the Wular Action Plan, about Rs. 125 crores have already been spent.
It was also recorded that residents of about 33 villages around the Wular lake dump garbage into the lake area and none of the authorities are able to check the dumping or to provide any alternative site.
The Senior AAG was directed to indicate the strength of the staff of Wular Conservation and Management Authority; the number of persons employed and the effective steps taken by the Authority for conservation and preservation of the lake.
In response, the Additional PCCF/Chief Executive Director, Wular Conservation and Management Authority, Kashmir stated that the Authority is making sincere efforts for conservation and preservation of the lake and how the amount of Rs. 125 crores provided by the Union of India has been spent with complete details of the heads under which the expenses have been incurred.
Court hoped that the respondent-authorities would take effective steps to ensure that the Amicus Curiae is able to visit the area subject to security arrangements as per the convenience of the authorities according to the prefixed date and time which shall be informed to the Amicus well in advance, may be in the presence of officers of the two Authorities.
Advocate General was asked to co-ordinate between the various departments and to place before this court the precise stand of the respondents with regard to the conservation and preservation of Wular Lake as also regarding the utilization of money sanctioned by the Union of India for the above purpose.
As per information provided to the court there was 380 Kanals and 11 Marlas of the Wular lake under encroachment and efforts as per the WUCMA were being taken to retrieve the said land but none of the authorities is coming forward with any specific time limit within which they propose to retrieve the said land.
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