Water bodies and wetlands, usually crucial to the ecology of any region, are fast shrinking in our State owing firstly to blatant encroachment and secondly to carelessness about proper management of water bodies, rain water etc. A PIL is pending before the Division Bench of the High Court in which the petitioner has demanded immediate vacation of illegal encroachment of water bodies leading to damage to ecology and environment. In this connection the Court had asked the Government to ensure that illegal encroachment is vacated and water bodies are restored to their pristine purity.
The State authorities have failed to comply with the orders of the court. It has taken no step in the direction of vacating encroachments. There seems political intervention or selfish aggrandizement in not complying with the orders of the court. Water bodies and wetlands, particularly the well known wetlands of Gharana in Jammu and Hokarsar in Kashmir have been excellent bird sanctuaries since long years. The Siberian birds usually spend the winter months in these two wetlands both of which have been under severe pressure of encroachment and logging up of water channels. Of late it has been observed that the number of birds visiting these traditional sanctuaries is decreasing because of paucity of feed,
We find no reason why the State authorities should demonstrate such callous apathy towards removing the encroachments from water bodies and wetlands. On the basis of status report furnished by state authorities, the DB had observed that out of 1996 kanals area of Shallabugh wetland, 96 kanals and 12 Marlas was under encroachment and no steps were taken to remove the encroachment. Similarly, 417 kanals area of Hokersar wetland was under encroachment, 2530 kanals and 2 marlas in Hygam, 157 kanals and one marla in Mirgund, 79 kanals and 4 marlas in Chattlum and 96 kanals and 17 marlas in Freshkori remained under encroachment. The Division Bench has appointed five Court Commissioners, who have been directed to start the exercise of conducting survey of encroachments of wetlands beginning from Gharana Wetland in R S Pura tehsil by conducting on-spot survey on April 13, 2017. We express satisfaction over the action of the High Court in appointing five Court Commissioners to assist the court in bringing the complaint to its logical conclusion. The nexus of land grabbing has to come to an end.
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