Srinagar August 01: The High Court has directed the government to respond to a recent report by court commissioners exposing the deteriorating water quality of Dal Lake and the spree of ongoing illegal constructions in it.
The court asked the government to report by next date on the level of pollutants incessantly flowing into the Lake as revealed by a report of the court appointed vigilance commissioners.
The commissioners were last year entrusted to look in to the pathetic situation of the significant urban lake of Kashmir.
“Lilipads too have strengthened their existence. Although removed last year they have resurfaced,” reported the commissioners.
The commissioners made it clear that the “de-weeding process undertaken through harvesters engaged by the department has shown only timely results as compared to the manually de-weeding process”.
“De-weeded last year mechanically the weeds have surfaced again. There are a lot of weeds in the middle of Dal Lake and the area of Kabutar Khana”, they said adding “the exception is the front portion of the Boulevard area where Lakes and Waterways Department (LAWDA) has deployed laborers for de weeding”.
They said that during their visit to Nai Sadak, on the backside of Dalgate, “the bad condition” of the Lake is explicit and seems to be totally neglected and unattended.
“The entire area is polluted beyond imagination”, they said.
The court commissioners reported “in a very strange incident on the back side of Nehru Park (near a restaurant), a person was filling the water area with soil and weeds. The material was being provided to him by people engaged by LAWDA”.
The commissioners said that they also saw enormous illegal construction under way in and around Dal.
They further submitted that these kinds of illegal constructions are usually undertaken with the help of the touts who facilitate the violators in ferrying of the material.
On the main road near Saida kadal area where the water channel is being dredged, the mud extracted is proving to be a blessing in disguise for the local land owners, they reported.
The extracted mud is being used to fill the low lying and marshy land on which sprout illegal constructions afterwards. People are thankful to LAWDA, for this extraction, added the court commissioners.
Official sentenced to 10-yr imprisonment for forgery
BY: Rayees Ahmad
Srinagar: Court of 2nd Additional Sessions Judge Srinagar has sentenced Tundup Gyalson (ARTO Clerk) for 10 years simple imprisonment for commission of offence under section 467 RPC with fine of Rs. 20,000/ and 5 years simple imprisonment for commission of offence under section 468 RPC with fine of Rs. 10,000 in a case under FIR 99 of 1998 by police Crime Branch Kashmir.
The court, in its verdict, observed that in the instant case, the court has found the accused guilty of forgery.
“He created false RC’s of the vehicles and thus concealed the identification of true owners of the vehicles,” observed the court.
“Keeping in view the principles governing the field of penology as referred in the maiden paras of this order and the complicity of the accused in the commission of offence and its impact on the society, court has awarded the convict 10 years simple imprisonment for commission of offence under section 467 RPC with fine of Rs. 20,000 and 5 years simple imprisonment to said convict for commission of offence under section 468 RPC with fine of Rs. 10,000. Both the imprisonments to run concurrently, read the order.
In case of non-payment of fine, convict will further undergo imprisonment for a period of six months. The accused has also been apprised to challenge his conviction and sentence in the High Court at Srinagar within a span of 90 days.
