Police arrest five for polluting Dal Lake, register cases

Srinagar, Sep 6 (UNI) In its first major drive to keep the famous Dal Lake clean, Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested five persons and registered cases against five others for polluting the water body, major tourist attraction in the summer capital.

A police official said five persons were arrested early this week for polluting the Dal Lake by throwing the garbage and other waste into the Lake.

He said a formal case was registered against all the five accused in Nehru Park police station and a challan was produced in a local court.

However, they were released on bail, he said.

He further said that cases against five others-- two hotel owners, two shopkeepers and a house owner-- on the bank of the Dal Lake have been registered for polluting the Lake.

The accused will be arrested and produced before a magistrate, he said.

The government has banned the use of polythene in tourist places, including Dal Lake, Mughal gardens and hospitals in the state.

However, there was no check on the use of polythene and majority of the people could be seen carrying polythene bags at these places.

Hundreds of polythene bags were recently removed from the Dal Lake by an NGO and Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

On the directions of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the authorities have cut more than three lakh trees and removed encroachments in the Lake.

The court has also directed the authorities to identify the houses, hotels and other buildings constructed in the green belt area in violation of the master plan.

UNI