Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 19:The State Government Counsel and the Vice Chairman of Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA), Sarmand Hafeez, today gave conflicting reports to the court on release of funds to the Authority for conservation and protection of world famous Dal Lake.
The State Government counsel, Additional Advocate General (AAG) Bashir Ahmad Dar, today told the Division Bench of High Court, Justice Hasnain Masoodi and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, that Government has released Rs 22.50 crore to LAWDA in March this year. But the VC LAWDA, Sarmand Hafeez, refuted this and said that it may have been released earlier but not this year. The Court in response said: “It will be cleared on Thursday, when the three Commissioner/Secretaries of the three departments will be here.”
The High Court directed the Commissioner Secretaries of Finance, Planning and Housing and Urban Development Department to appear before the court by next date of hearing on Thursday to explain their position regarding release of funds for conservation and protection of world famous Dal Lake.
The Division Bench had sought personal appearance of these Commissioner Secretaries today for explaining their position regarding release of funds to LAWDA and failure for attaching the erring officials of enforcement wing of LAWDA.
The AAG told the Court that the Commissioners had important meeting today at Jammu, the winter capital of the State and couldn’t attend the court today. He sought exemption from their personal appearance but court directed their personal appearance on next date of hearing.
It had been brought to the notice of the court that only 7 erring officials of enforcement wing of LAWDA have been attached till date and no funds for conservation of the lake are being released by the Government.
The Vice Chairman of LAWDA, Sarmand Hafeez, yesterday told the court that National Lakes Conservation Project was made in the year 2005 and Rs 298.76 crores were kept for the conservation of Nigeen and Dal lakes but for the last 2 years no funds have been released by the Central Government except Rs 159.44 crores which were provided by the end of December 2010 and only Rs 15 crores have been released this year which are still lying with the State Government and due to non availability of funds Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) and other machinery suffered loss.
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