news details |
|
|
| Land mafia resumes road construction into Narkara wetland | | Environmentalists seek Raj Bhawan intervention | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Jan 10: Even as the government has reiterated that wetlands in Kashmir will be conserved, the alleged land mafia has resumed construction of road into the Narkara wetland here for construction of illegal colonies inside the endangered waterbody.
Sources said the work on the road that leads to the Narkara wetland from Nadirgund side was started during the then regime led by Omar Abdullah.
The National Conference government was accused of encouraging the “land mafia in the area for vote bank politics.”
Officials said the work on the road was started from along the Airport Port near the bridge on the Nadir Gund side. Following massive public outcry by the environmentalists the work was stopped.
Now, however, the work has been resumed as the “land mafia” eyes to start the construction of the colony with the land filing of the water body. Sources said a “nexus between the bureaucrats, local politicians and the land mafia cannot be ruled out.”
“How will such an unlawful activity be allowed unless the administration is not hand in glove with the politicians who actually use land mafia for vote bank interests,” said a senior official on the condition of anonymity.
The land filling of the waterbody is underway and even the portion of the flood spill channel along the Airport Road has been landfilled in the last few months.
“Let the government send a team for a ground inspection and things will be clear as to how land mafia has been given a free hand for land filling of the wetland,” said a senior official in the Revenue Department on the condition of anonymity.
A senior official said the matter would be looked into.
Meanwhile the environmentalists seeking conversation of the waterbody have appealed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to personally look into the matter.
“In the last few years, rampant land filling and the construction work has taken place inside the wetland and the same can be verified through on the spot inspection,” said a group of environmentalists. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
