Category: Environment

Environment

No lesson learnt after devastating earthquake, guidelines remain on paper

Editor

Ten years after the devastating earthquake, J&K has learnt no lesson as far as construction of quake-resistant buildings and structures is concerned. Following the deadly earthquake, most safety norms have been flouted not only by the government but the general public as well. Experts feel that most of the buildings in Kashmir may not withstand a high-magnitude quake like the one that hit Nepal recently, more particularly because Kashmir, including Srinagar, falls in Zone 5 or very severe intensity seismic zone. Following the 2005 quake, building bylaws were amended, making…

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Politicians, Bureaucrats turn ‘Encroachers’ in City

Editor

Govt in no mood to retrieve 295 kanals encroached land With every passing day, encroachment is engulfing many areas in Srinagar City and its outskirts in a rapid speed and government seems to have employed the policy of ‘forget and forgive’ to these land encroachers. In last year December, when District administration demolished the boundary wall of the house of former Congress Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed and retrieved 30 marlas of grazing land (Kah-charie) in Humhama which he had illegally grabbed, it was taken as harbinger of redeeming ‘encroached lands’…

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Government ‘turns a blind eye’ to illegal colonies on river banks

Editor

The revelation by the government in the Legislative Assembly about recovery of 925 kanals of land from encroachers along the Tawi in Jammu is good news for people, but the government has “actually” turned a blind eye to illegal colonies which have mushroomed in the past 10 years with “land sharks” on prowl to grab any open space. Most of the colonies have been constructed without following any norms, while civic bodies, especially the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), has turned a blind eye to all these constructions. The government has…

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HC hints at stern action against officials abetting Jhelum encroachment

Editor

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…

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Swach Bharat Abhyan gathers ‘official dirt’ in Srinagar

Editor

Delay in funds keeps Srinagar out of top 100  list  On October 2, the ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhyan (SBA) launched across India completed its one year but Srinagar continues to be out of the list of top 100 clean cities. Top official sources revealed the reason lies in delay in releasing funds. They said central government released funds only on last day of September—two days before its maiden anniversary. Only one-fifth of the toilets promised have so far been built, way behind the target and the larger problem is of…

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Locals Censure SMC for failing to protect Khushalsar Lake

Editor

Locals and a group of concerned citizens have censured the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) for failing to prevent encroachment of Khushalsar lake by land mafia. The concerned citizens including inhabitants of Sazgaripora and Khayeewan Mohalla said despite repeated complaints, the SMC has failed to prevent encroachment of Khushalsar near Aali Masjid, Sazgaripora and Ali Jan Road. “We thrice apprised the SMC about the problem, however no action has been taken so far. Due to inaction, the land  mafia is encroaching upon embankments of Khushalsar and its Green Belt areas. The…

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Healthcare facilities in J-K flout waste disposal laws

Editor

State lacks common biomedical waste treatment facility Healthcare institutions, both government and private, in Jammu and Kashmir continue to flout biomedical waste management laws with impunity, courtesy government indifference and lackadaisical approach of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB). The state government is yet to come up with a proposal to establish a full-fledged common biomedical waste treatment facility and depends solely on small units, two in Kashmir and one in Samba district of Jammu province, for treatment of bio-medical waste. These units, however, are unable to manage huge quantity…

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Bangus Unlikely To Have Road, Expected To Be Biosphere

Editor

Given the growing concerns over the fragile ecology, state’s tourism policymakers are unlikely to permit a road to the northern paradise the Bangus Valley. While the entire housing infrastructure is planned to come up in the periphery of the scenic spot in the villages surrounding it, possibility of a ropeway is being explored to manage the high altitude connectivity. “We have the fragile ecology of Kashmir in mind and we will not like to copy Gulmarg or Pahalgam in Bangus valley,” Farooq Ahmad Shah, state’s Tourism Secretary told a seminar…

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Kishenganga Hydroelectric Power Project| High Court seeks response on residents’ rehab plea

Editor

A bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar passed the direction on a petition filed by the nine inhabitants of Village Kralpora Check Bandipora in a representative capacity through advocate Altaf Mehra The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has issued notice to state government and National Hydro Electric Power Corporation for response on a petition seeking directions for rehabilitation of the families affected by the Kishenganga Hydroelectric Power Project in Bandipora in accordance with the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy 2007. The petitioners also seek directions for constitution of a panel…

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Gangabal yatra begins tomorrow

Editor

The annual yatra to Gangbal lake, which is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva, is all set to start on Sunday. Talking to us, All Parties Migrant Coordination Committee (APMCC) chairman Vinod Pandit said pilgrims had started arriving and the yatra would be flagged off from Naranag in Ganderbal district of the Kashmir valley. The yatra is being organised by the Harmukh Ganga Gangbal Trust (HGGT) with the support of the APMCC. “A group of around 100 devotees will set out for the yatra after the puja at…

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