Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 23: High Court today directed the Government counsel representing Wullar Conservation Management Authority (WUCMA) to take instructions to facilitate the visit by amicus around the lake.
The directions followed after the Amicus Curiae to the PIL submitted before the division bench of Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Justice M A Chowdhary that he has prepared a tentative visit plan to Wular Lake for the purpose of studying 33 villages and making necessary assessments in accordance of the court directions.
The court on previous hearing had asked the amicus to provide the tentative visit plan of Wular Lake in order to submit the assessment with regard to the conservation, management and development of tourism around the lake.
The assessment was sought by the court for the purpose of studying the 33 villages that are part of the Wular Lake.
The direction follows that Rs. 200 Crore more have been provided by the Union of India for conservation and management of wetland. The report on record mentions that under the Wular Action Plan, about Rs. 125 Crores have already been spent.
It was also recorded that residents of about 33 villages around the Wular Lake dump garbage into the Lake area and none of the authorities are able to check the said dumping or to provide any alternative site.
The Senior AAG was directed to indicate the strength of the staff of Wular Conservation and Management Authority; the number of persons employed and the effective steps taken by the Authority for conservation and preservation of the Lake.
In response, the Additional PCCF/Chief Executive Director, Wular Conservation and Management Authority, Kashmir stated that the Authority is making sincere efforts for conservation and preservation of the Lake and how the amount of Rs. 125 Crores provided by the Union of India has been spent with complete details of the heads under which the expenses have been incurred.
Court was pained to notice that the Government has created the WUCMA for a specific purpose but the said Authority is not able to come up to the mark, rather, it appears to have been wasting the money sanctioned and provided by the Union of India.
As per information provided to the court there was 380 Kanals and 11 Marlas of the Wular Lake under encroachment and efforts as per the WUCMA were being taken to retrieve the said land but none of the authorities is coming forward with any specific time limit within which they propose to retrieve the said land.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
