Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 5: The State High Court today expressed deep anguish over the lackadiaskal approach on part of the authorities in saving the tourist resorts in the State and directed for finalizing of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report and environment Impact Management Plan (EIMP) for Sonamarg so that comprehensive status report is submitted before the Court.
Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar and Justice M K Hanjura heavily came down on the authorities through their counsels for their casual approach in saving the tourist resorts which Court observed compelled it to reopen the matter which was closed way back in September 2015. Court has also impressed upon CEO of SDA to get the resort connected with geo-tagging.
It may be mentioned here that the PIL on protection and preservation of rivers in general and river Sindh in particular was closed by the court way back in 2015 with certain directions upon the authorities.
It is only last year the said PIL was reopened after the Court took serious note and recorded that the Sonamarg tourist resort has suffered degradation due to lack of concern on part of stake holders.
CEO Sonamarg was present today before the Court and submitted that the EIA and EIMP is at final touch and Court asked him to finalize the same so that the counsel appearing on behalf of Sonamarg Development Authority would be in a position to submit a comprehensive report in terms of directions passed in September last year by the court.
DB in its September order had recorded that Sonamarg area, it is evident, has suffered environmental degradation because of apathy on part of stake holders.
Court had said there are essentially four aspects to the Sonamarg area. The first aspect, is the attraction of meadows in Sonamarg.
“The meadows of Sonamarg reflect the actual nature in the sense that it means golden meadows. The second aspect is the Thajwas glaciers. It needs to be verified whether the glaciers are receding”, Court directed the Earth Sciences Department Kashmir University is to submit comprehensive report in this regard before the court on or before next date of hearing.
The fourth aspect which the court recorded is often neglected is Sindh river. In this connection State Pollution Control Board was directed to submit a report of water-Air and manner of treatment of effluent and sewage.
The orders of halting on constructions have already been passed in the instant PIL. The said petition was filed by an advocate and court re-opened the same in wake of alarming condition of Sonamarg and treated the same as suo moto proceedings by the Court in order to save the resort before it become a concrete jungle.
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