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| HC seeks plan on spending within 2 weeks | | Union Govt releases Rs 30 Cr for Wullar conservation | |
Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 3: As government of India released Rs 30 crore in addition to revalidating nearly Rs 8 crore from unutilized funds from last fiscal, Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tuesday asked the Wullar Lake Conservation Authority (WUCMA) to submit a comprehensive plan about the utilization of funds in proper manner.
During the hearing in the PIL- Kashmir Environment Protection Vs State of J&K and others, Assistant Solicitor General S A Makroo informed a division bench of Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice M H Attar about a compliance report filed by Director Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance Government of India.
In the report, it has been stated that the Director has released Rs 30 crore to J&K government for conservation of Wullar Lake as directed by the High Court.
At the same time, two other status reports were filed by Abdul Razzaq, Chief Executive Director Wullar Conservation and Management Authority, giving details of expenditure made by the end of March 2014. Out of Rs 30 crores for the year 2013-14, he said, the WUCMA utilized Rs 21.4703 crores and balance of amount of Rs 8.5297 crores has been got revalidated for the current financial year.
Regarding the utilization of money, WUCMA, represented by Advocate General M I Qadri, said that in initial stage it would be utilized for addressing issue of slit which enters the lake from River Jhelum.
"How the amount spent would be able to achieve the result which are contemplated under the plan of save Waullar Lake?" the division bench said.
However, court observed, vague answers were given about stopping of the silt from entering the Wullar Lake.
To another question, it was not made clear to us whether such a process would be temporary or it will achieve some enduring results.
"No satisfactory answer is available. Therefore we grant time to respondents to file a comprehensive plan so that we may examine the utilization of funds in its proper direction," the division bench said and granted Let two weeks time for the same.
"Public Money has to be utilized for the purpose for which it is meant," the court added. |
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