Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 14: Residents of Rakhe Aarath staged a protest today against the authorities, opposing a “re-verification” survey being conducted by the Revenue Department.
Several residents—primarily former Dal dwellers who were relocated to Rakhe Aarath under a rehabilitation program—came out in protest against the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), demanding that the Government must address the lack of basic facilities in the area.
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“Officers from the Revenue Department came here for a re-verification survey, but there are no official orders regarding it. We asked them to show us the directions they were following, but they had none,” said Ghulam Hassan, one of the protesters.
He alleged discrepancies in the compensation promised by the authorities at the time of relocation in 2010 and highlighted the continued lack of facilities.
“There have been gaps in the compensation—we never received the full amount that was promised to us. The funds we did receive were insufficient,” he said, adding that many families had to take loans to construct houses.
“We were also promised soft loans, but to date, nothing has materialized,” he added.
Another resident, Mushtaq Ahmad, said they had been suffering ever since being shifted to Rakhe Aarath.
He questioned the purpose of the re-verification survey in the absence of basic amenities and proper evaluation of damage caused by land sinking.
“If the authorities haven’t surveyed the damaged houses or ensured proper facilities, what is the point of this new survey?” he asked.
“We don’t have Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), there is no graveyard, and no school. Our houses have suffered structural damage due to sinking, but no one has bothered to investigate,” he added.
He further questioned the intent behind the current survey, saying, “If the authorities are conducting a new survey, why haven’t they first addressed the damages and lack of development? Nothing has been done for us.”
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