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NC-Cong Govt's indifferent attitude towards Jammu's precious water bodies Mansar, Surinsar and Dalsar 4/3/2014 11:16:33 PM Rustam JAMMU, Apr 3: The people of Jammu province have several grievances against the State Government. Their age-old complain is that their province has never got its due share in any sphere and that their region has been converted by the Kashmiri leadership and its agents in Jammu into a Kashmir's colony. One of their complaints is that the State Government and the Central Government are not paying attention to the precious water-bodies in Jammu like Mansar, Surinsar and Dalsar and that they have been spending crores and crores of rupees for the preservation, conservation and beautification the Kashmir's Dal Lake and Nigeen Lake. The complaint cannot be dismissed as a manifestation of the bias of people of Jammu towards Kashmir. Their complaint is as genuine as it is well-founded. Indeed, the NC-Congress coalition Government has been ignoring the Jammu's water bodies and giving a preferential treatment only to Dal and Nigeen lakes. It bears recalling that it was in 1997 that the State Government Vide Order No. 117 of HUD, dated April 11, 1997, created Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LWDA) as an autonomous institution under the Development Act, 1970. The duty of the LWDA was look after, manage, preserve and conserve the water bodies and waterways of the State, but the authorities focused their attention only on Dal and Nigeen lakes and ignored the Jammu's water-bodies much to the chagrin of the people of Jammu province and despite protests on the floor of the assembly held by some Jammu-based lawmakers. It is obvious that the Kashmiri-dominated political establishment adopted an indifferent attitude towards Jammu. Since the LWDA focused its attention only on the Kashmir's lakes and since it sent proposals to the Government of India concerning these lakes, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests sanctioned an amount of Rs 298.76 crore for the conservation and beautification of Dal and Nigeen lakes in September 2005. As per the official data, an amount of Rs 2874.15 lakh out of a total of Rs 298.76 crore was earmarked for and spent on Dal and Nigeen lakes during 2011-12, Rs 2538.77 lakh during 2012-13 and Rs 1372.21 lakh during 2013-14. As for Mansar, Surinsar and Dalsar lakes, little or no money was earmarked for and spent on them. These lakes are not under the jurisdiction of LWDA; these are under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department. It would be wrong to accuse the LWDA of adopting a step-motherly attitude towards the Jammu's water-bodies. For, it cannot do anything to conserve these precious lakes as they are not within its ambit. It is the State Government that could be accused of ignoring these lakes. The State Government needs to review its policy towards water-bodies keeping into consideration the complaint of the people of Jammu province. It must bring the Jammu's water-bodies under the jurisdiction of the LWDA so that they are also conserved and beautified.   Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network     Comment on this Story

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