1,808 Dal Families Shifted to Rakh-i-Arth as Govt Moves to In-Situ Eco-Hamlet Model | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The government on Saturday informed the Assembly that 1,808 families from the Dal and Nigeen Lake areas have been rehabilitated at Rakh-i-Arth Housing Colony in Bemina, with free land and compensation provided under a multi-crore rehabilitation scheme.

The Rakh-i-Arth Colony was developed to facilitate the permanent relocation of Dal dwellers from the lake and ensure their subsequent rehabilitation. In 2013, a comprehensive Rehabilitation and Resettlement Project for Dal and Nigeen Lake dwellers was sanctioned at a cost of Rs 416.72 crore under State Capex and the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) component, vide Government Order No. 109-HUD of 2013 dated March 22, 2013, pursuant to Cabinet Decision No. 51/7/2013 dated March 15, 2013.

Under Phase-I of the project, development activities at Rakh-i-Arth Housing Colony have been almost completed as per the approved Detailed Project Report (DPR). These include earth filling of plots, construction of road networks, sewerage and drainage systems, water supply, electricity infrastructure and development of public parks.

The government stated that a re-appraised DPR amounting to Rs 142.61 crore has been framed to undertake the remaining works of Phase-I in accordance with actual requirements. The revised proposal will be placed before the Board of Directors in its forthcoming meeting for approval.

The rehabilitation process, however, stretched over an extended period, prompting judicial intervention. In the Public Interest Litigation titled Syed Tahir Geelani vs State and Others, the Hon’ble High Court of Jammu and Kashmir took serious note of the slow pace of rehabilitation and constituted a High-Level Committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, to monitor the process.

Subsequently, in light of directions issued in PIL No. 159/2002 and recommendations of the Board of Directors of the concerned authority, the earlier relocation-based scheme is being replaced with an in-situ conservation model. Under this revised approach, Dal dwellers residing in hamlets within the lake are now being treated as part of the “Dal Ecosystem.” Instead of relocating them, these hamlets are to be developed as Eco-Hamlets. Hamlets where only a few structures require relocation will be excluded from the in-situ conservation plan.

Out of 58 hamlets identified within the lake, development works in six hamlets have been taken up under the UT Capex Budget. The project titled “Development of Kachri Mohalla as Modern Village” has already been completed.

The government further informed that sewerage networks have been laid in six hamlets, and a DPR for construction of two modular Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) for these areas is under preparation.

Additionally, an “Integrated Management Plan for Conservation of Dal-Nigeen Lake Ecosystem” has been framed under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP). The DPR, appraised by IIT Roorkee, has been accepted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change through the Ministry of Home Affairs for an amount of Rs 212.38 crore, to be spent over five years.

The project aims to address sewerage issues in 28 internal hamlets by converting them into Model Hamlets, implement treatment measures for various inflow nallahs in catchment areas before they enter the lake, and undertake dredging, widening and development of interior channels to revive water circulation and ensure smooth navigation.

The proposal is currently under process for formal approval by the competent authority through the Finance Department of the Union Territory, subject to availability of funds.