Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 15: High Court has sought a status report and steps taken from the authorities for the removal of encroachments on Doodh Ganga River in Srinagar and appointed Amicus Curiae to assist the court in the matter.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Justice Moksha Kazmi directed the concerned authorities to update the court with regard to removal of encroachments on the river on the next date of hearing.
Court also appointed advocate Shaqir Haqani as Amicus to the PIL to assist the court in the matter. Court directed the Registry to provide a complete paper book to advocate Shakir by or before the next date of hearing.
The bench was dealing with a suomoto cognizance taken by the court on the apathy on part of the Government officials in maintaining the safety and purity of drinking water source.
The authorities have to inform the court as to how many drainage systems, waste pipes and toilets have been constructed on the water body and its tributaries.
The concerned authorities have to update the status of the water body with regard to build up of drainage systems which the court added has end up untreated in the water body and how many households sewage/waste pipes drop into the river and how many toilets have been constructed on the river or its tributary rivulets.
The suo moto cognizance has been taken to media reports alleging indifference lack of concern of the concerned government officials to the pollution of the water of Nalla Doodhganga, especially at the spot the Water Filtration Plant is situated at Kralapora in Tehsil Chadoora, District Budgam, which supplies potable water to lakhs of consumers in the Districts of Budgam and Srinagar,
The summon were issued already to Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Srinagar; Chief Engineer, Public Health Engineering Department, Srinagar; Chief Engineer, Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED), Srinagar; Chief Engineer, Roads and Buildings Department, Srinagar; Deputy Commissioner, Budgam; Chief Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Chadoora; Chief Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Charar-i-Sharief; Director, Rural Sanitation Department, Srinagar; Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Srinagar; Chief of the Forest Protection Force, Budgam; Chief Executive Officer, Economic Reconstruction Agency, Rambagh, Srinagar; Director Fisheries Department, Srinagar; Superintendent, Bone & Joint Hospital, Barzulla, and Chief Executive Officer, Yousmarg Development Authority to update the court pertaining to their respective sphere of working.
As per the court, the content of the news report depicts prevalence of a grave situation all over the course of the Nalla, from its source to the Walter Filtration Plant, in the shape of health hazardous materials of sorts and pollutants being lead into, thrown and dumped in the water course or its Banks, risking not only the public hygiene, environment and ecology of the Nalla, but also the usefulness of the installation in question.
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