Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 10: High Court today took serious note of illegal constructions in Gulmarg and Sonamarg and issued notice to the Government.
In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Aijaz Chesti over the illegal constructions in Gulmarg, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice D S Thakur issued a show cause notice to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gulmarg asking him why action against him be not taken for allowing illegal constructions.
The High Court directed that the salary of employees, who are performing their duties with Gulmarg Development Authority should be stopped.
It is pertinent to mention here that in his compliance report submitted through the Advocate General M I Qadri, the CEO has admitted that two constructions took place at Drang area of Gulmarg.
In another petition filed by Human Watch through Advocate Nazir Ahmed Beg, the DB issued show cause notice to the Government asking it to explain how it permitted the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sonamarg Development Authority Mohammad Yousuf Bhat to hold on his post.
During the proceedings of the case, the petitioner brought the attention of the court towards the number of constructions in Sonamarg area in violation of the Master Plan. The petitioner pointed out that constructions were raised on “No Construction Zone”, “forestland” and “Kacharayee land”.
Advocate Beg pleaded before the DB that the CEO was involved in malpractices and prosecution sanction vide Government Order No.7/7/2009 was accorded against him for commission of offences punishable under Section 5(1) d r/w 5(2) JK PC Act 2006 and Section 120-B CrPC in FIR No 41/13.
The petitioner also referred to the remarks made by Governor N N Vohra during his visit to Sonamarg where he castigated the State Government “for its failure to check the Master Plan violations in Kashmir” and even expressed shock after seeing concrete structures coming up near water bodies and rivers.
On this, DB asked, “how persons like CEO Sonamarg Development Authority are retained by the Government on key posts”, adding “if these things continue to happen then all Kashmir can be turned into concrete jungle. You have a parallel example of Uttarakhand.”
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