Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 17 : In a PIL, seeking removal of encroachments on water bodies, wetland reserves and other reserves in J&K and restore them to their original form, a high court division bench of Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Tashi Rabstan today granted two weeks time to file status report. The bench directed commissioner of forest and environment department to appear in person on April 7 next in case the status report was not filed in two weeks.
In his PIL, the petitioner submitted that after J&K faced worst floods, the environmentalists had blamed encroachment of wetlands in the state, especially in the valley, as the main reason for devastation of life and property. He said notwithstanding the fact that wetlands 'play an important role in preventing ecological catastrophe, majority of marsh lands are not receiving any attention in J&K, resulting in their continues shrinking and making the state more prone to the disasters like the recent one which had caused massive devastation".
The height of the insensitivity towards this vital aspect could be gauged from the fact that no particular department had so far been assigned the task of preservation of these wetlands. As per NWIA, total area of J&K is about 2, 22,236 sq km and about 3651 wetlands having area of 391501 hectares and 222111 sq km of geographic area of wetlands exist in J&K. Some of the wetlands like Suriansar and Mansar lakes, Hokersar, Wular Lake and Tsomoriri have been included in the list of wetlands of international importance under Ramsar convention. Three wetlands have been included in the Prime Minister's Package. Inspite of their inclusion in the Ramsar Convention and the Prime Minister's Package, the area of such wetland was decreasing day by day due to the encroachment and other allied factors, the petitioner alleged.
--(JNF) |
