Govt’s affidavit in HC to indicate steps on garbage dumping curb

Srinagar, Aug 28: The Jammu and Kashmir government, through a “specific affidavit,” would inform the High Court of J&K and Ladakh about the measures taken to prevent the dumping of garbage into the area surrounding the Wular, one of the largest freshwater lakes of Asia.

As a related Public Interest Litigation (PIL) came up for hearing, the government, through its senior Additional Advocate General, Mohsin Qadiri, informed a division bench of Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal that a specific affidavit indicating the required measures would be submitted.

This was in response to the submissions by Advocate Nadeem Qadri, as amicus curiae, who said, there are nearly 33 villages around the water body, and the authorities have apparently failed to take steps to ensure no garbage from the adjacent villages is dumped into the lake area.

The amicus curiae said that Rs 200 crore were provided in this regard, but the authorities have apparently failed to engage full time officials and officers for the conservation and preservation of the lake.

The senior AAG, on behalf of the government, said that “a specific affidavit in this regard shall also be filed before October 6”.

At the same time, the government informed the court that an additional Integrated Management Plan (IMP) as regards Wular Lake has been approved by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.

The court was also informed that, as for Surinsar and Mansar lakes, the Integrated Management Plan is yet to be received from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Faced with this, the Senior AAG submitted that the needful should be done within a week.

In response to that, the Haigam and Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve, IMP is under technical appraisal by Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Deputy Solicitor General of India, T M Shamsi, submitted that he would take up the matter with the concerned authorities and ensure that the response by IIT Roorke was received within a week to enable the authorities to process the matter.

With regard to Tso-Kar and Tso-Morari lakes, the court was informed that IMP was yet to be received from the Union Territory of Ladakh.

In response to this, DSGI Shamsi submitted that necessary approval and clearance would be accorded within a week to avert any further delay.

“In the wake of the above, for the present, we do not consider it necessary to pass any formal order,” the court said as it observed that it was “assured by counsel appearing for the respective parties that by the adjourned date, a specific affidavit indicating the progress made on the ground shall be submitted.”