Seeks list of engineers who were posted in areas through which the river flows
The Jammu and Kashmir high court has sought list of officers guilty of abetting encroachment of river Jhelum, hinting at taking action against them.
The division bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar sought report from Commissioner Secretary of Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC) about particulars of all the Engineers from rank of Chief Engineers to Junior Engineers who remained posted in the areas through which river Jhelum flows.
The Bench asked the CE to provide the detail to the registry of the court within four weeks and also mention the place of posting of such officers with the tenure of posting in the report.
The bench further asked all the deputy commissioners of the area through which Jhelum flows to ensure that encroachments are removed from the river and also asked them to restore the river to its original size.
The high court directed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir to provide all necessary assistance to the authorities who are removing encroachments from Jhelum and other water bodies.
The court also directed Deputy Commissioners of Anantnag and Pulwama to file fresh compliance reports about the action taken in removing the encroachments.
The high court is passing the directions while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking restoration of river and other water bodies.