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| Gov concerned over deteriorating condition of Dal Lake | | Will officials be held responsible ? | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
Srinagar, July 19: Hitting out at those for polluting Dal Lake, Governor Satya Pal Malik Friday admitted that condition of the famed lake was deteriorating. His statements clearly indicate how the authorities over the years have failed to improve its condition despite spending crores of rupees over the years. Voices are also growing louder that there shall be accountability regarding utilization of funds over the years, which were meant for improvisation of the lake. The Governor said that untreated sewage coming out of hotels and houseboats was directly flowing into the famed lake and polluting it. "It condition is bad. We are going to cancel their licences who fail to install STPs. We will restore its lost glory within 18 months," he said in his speech at the launch of electric buses and releasing of coffee table book on live stock breeding policy at SKICC on Friday. The condition of the lake has been going to worst even though the government spent crores of rupees over the years. There are various schemes launched for the preservation of the lake without any desired results. For the last 16 years, Rs 759 crores have been spent on conservation of Dal Lake. Among Rs 759, Rs 400.96 crores have been allocated by the Central government for conservation of the Dal Lake, while Rs 359.93 crores have been spent so far. The High Court has said that crores of rupees have been spent on Dal and no "fruitful results" have come out.
An official of LAWDA said, "Construction of Western Foreshore Road (WFR) was a disaster for Dal Lake. Millions of tons of filling material choked the vital water channels that acted like arteries through which stagnated water from bad water pockets of Dal Lake flowed. Vast tracts of bio filters were also destroyed during the construction work resulting in serious impact on the health of the lake." He said that construction of macadamized link roads, pathways and jetties in the interior of the lake. "Unscientific disposal of mud excavated from the lake's bed by dredging. Harvesting of weeds by machine harvesters. Machine- driven shutter type outflow gates at Dalgate and Nalla Amir Khan. Live drains and gravity mains on the periphery of Dal Lake," he added. He said that authorities clean a portion of Dal Lake around the SKICC. "When one goes into the interiors of the lake, you will find how the famous lake is turning into a swamp," he added.
Last year during his visit to Srinagar, the then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has announced Rs 350 crore for the development of Dal Lake. |
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