J and K High Court for removal of illegal structures near Dal Lake

Srinagar, June 1 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir High Court has come down heavily on the authorities for not preparing a list of illegal structures and encroachments on the banks of Dal Lake so far and asked them to do so within two weeks.

A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Bashir Ahmed Khan and Justice Bashir Ahmed Kirmani, said, ''no systematic effort seems to have been made to prepare a list of illegal structures, encroachments.'' The court directed the Lakes And Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) vice-chairperson to prepare a list of all illegal structures from Dalgate to Cheshma Shahi on the Boulevard road opposite the Dal Lake within two weeks.

The violators should then be given a two- week show-cause notice and their objections be placed before the committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, it added.

The bench directed the state government to take necessary steps to purchase multi-purpose lake cleaning machines and one harvester and asked the LAWDA vice-chairperson to take manual operations to clear the land mass.

The court appreciated the State Forest Corporation for felling of trees in the Dal Lake area, but observed that it did not take care of the roots as these might sprout again.

The bench directed the Chief Town Planner to finalise the plan from Dalgate to Nishat and submit it to the Housing and Urban Development Department, which will in turn place it before the high-level coordination committee, monitoring the court directions.

UNI AG PA ND1642