Srinagar, Oct 14: The people living on the banks of various water bodies in Srinagar on Wednesday accused the department of Lakes conservation and management authority of violating the high court’s order by not allowing them to raise construction beyond buffer zones.
The aggrieved people told Rising Kashmir that early last month the high court issued an order stating that, excluding the Dal and Nigeen lakes, people could raise construction beyond buffer zones.
SE LCMA Mohammad Hidayat Ullah speaking to Rising Kashmir advised people to visit his office for the redress of their grievances. “He said that the directions would be followed strictly by the department.”
The officer said that he has recently taken over the SE of the LUKMA, adding that he will look into this matter where the problems lie.
The KhusalSar residents complained that the department of LC&MA was not allowing them to raise construction beyond the buffer zones. They said two zones have been identified by HC, which include green belts and buffer zones.
According to the HC orders, buffer zones and green belts around wetlands, lakes, and other bodies of water must be adequate to ensure that their functions are protected and maintained in the long run. Buffer zone widths and management must consider the ecological functions of the water bodies, the potential impacts of adjacent land use, and other relevant factors, such as flood plains.
Buffers also add aesthetic value to the system. With all these benefits, it makes sense to propose buffer zones and green belts around each water body as ecotones in which vegetation is protected and maintained.
The committee recommends that the buffers envisaged in the master plan around important water bodies and wetlands like Dal Lake, Nigeen Lake, BrariNumbal, Khualsar, Gilsar, and Anchar and other wetlands shall be subject to the outcome of the pending PIL filed in the high court.
Sajid Ahmad of Anchor said that the HC had barred construction within 200 metres of the Nigeen and Dal Lakes, adding that there was no mention of the other water bodies where people couldn’t build within 200 metres. However, they said the department has implemented the 200-meter policy on other bodies of water, which has exacerbated the people’s problems.
Ahmad stated that the ground staff is not allowing them to raise any structures within 200 meters. which left the people in distress.
When we are approaching the ground staff, they are citing that the department has not received any orders.
The HC order also mentions “water bodies, depending on the area concerned. The manner of utilization of land in the buffer zone is categorized for the purposes of parks and gardens in the Master Plan 2035. The efforts made by this Court and by the various authorities involved in the preservation of Dal Lake cannot be put to naught.
Nevertheless, there is still a need to protect this crown jewel, and the prohibition contained in our order dated July 19, 2002, with respect to construction within 200 meters of the periphery of Dal Lake shall continue to hold the field in the Master Plan 2035. That is, the buffer zone for Dal Lake shall be read to be 200 meters.
However, with respect to other water bodies identified in the Master Plan 2035, we clarify that the prohibition on construction contained in our order dated July 19, 2002, shall stand modified to the extent that the prohibition shall apply in terms of the distances/buffer zones identified by the Master Plan itself.
The people living on these water bodies have urged the concerned department to follow the HC directions and allow them to raise their construction.
