It can never be believed that in a highly sensitive tourist place vulnerable to ecological fragility like Gulmarg in Kashmir shall undergo violations of constructions of buildings and other structures ‘independent’ of the knowledge of but with implicit blessings from the administration. You do it under any alibi, repairs, renovations or whatever, the aim and the purpose is much more than meets the eye and nothing except the commercial pursuits and monetary gains. Can cheeks be gathered with impunity to afford disregarding the directions of the High Court and permissions granted by the Gulmarg Development Authority in respect of the entire spectrum and the extent of repairs, dismantling and reconstructions must all be answered by the authorities concerned supposed to be the watchdogs and protectors of the sanctity of places like Gulmarg and appointed for the requisite purpose by the Government.
The obduracy and bluntness of sensitivities towards respecting , protecting and sustaining natural boons like beautiful tourist places and resorts , the damage to which could be irreversible , can be seen in those hard shelled people who see , smell and snare commerce and earning money in every activity even by felling graceful troves of trees which by applying any modern technology of any sort and investments made to any extent cannot be grown except in natural way taking years and years together . Agreed, in commercial pursuits, it is a situation of dog eat dog but only in healthy , legal and permissible ways , not otherwise. If as of now , we have progressively reached such a pass where even breathing fresh and clean air , the basis of survival, has become a problem – it is simply because of the ever increasing insensitivities towards respecting nature and its innumerable forms of benevolence and countless showers of altruistic boons it has granted for the mankind , that too all for free. If Gulmarg like places are destined to be victims of such an attitude , it would be the worst thing to happen.
It is strange , for example that two huts Green Tree Lodge and Khilan Hut have been dismantled for reasons not known but what is known and visible to everyone is that a multi storey column structures have been constructed perhaps to “upgrade” the status and scope of old huts into multi room hotels for commercial gains while the orders are for just carrying out repairs and not any re- construction . This all happened despite the CEO , Gulmarg Development Authority asked the owners to stop the construction whereupon the owners approached the High Court for being permitted to carry out necessary repairs of the Khilhan hut but only after a few months not only the hut supposed to have been removed was intact but there is a multi storey column structure built right under the nose of the authorities and the administration looking after preventing such illegal constructions posing a threat to the ecological balancein this famous tourist resort.
The same is the case with the ‘The Green Tree Lodge’ which was a single storey structure only three months back at the time of ‘repairs work’ on it was ordered to be stopped . The latest position in regard to this ‘hut’ is that it is now a two storey structure and is taking leaps in reaching the third storey with obvious motives and aims but all in violation of the orders of the High Court and the permission from the local administration. These are the violations of gross nature which have been found out and it is left to imaginations as to how many other minor and major violations of one or the other nature must be taking place.
The field staff of the Gulmarg Development Authority and the ‘sources’ of on the spot information providers to its office are perhaps remaining wilfully and knowingly dormant in order to let the proverbial dust settle on such matters. If it is not that ,why no action, quick and fast , has been taken so far so that fears and apprehensions of whatever nature , would get duly allayed.
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