Early Times Report
Srinagar, Oct 11: The State High Court on Thursday directed a three-member expert committee to visit the Dal lake as soon as possible and submit the report to the court.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation, a division bench of the court headed by Chief Justice Gita Mittal ordered that Mangu Singh, CEO Delhi Metro Rail Corp shall be third member of the committee instead Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, (IES Retd., Former Chairperson Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and Member, Mata Vaishno Devi Shrinie Board) who has expressed his inability to continue with the assignment.
The other members include Dr Nivedita P. Haran, IAS (Retired), Former Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Govt. of Kerala and M. C. Mehta, Renowned Environmentalist, who hails from the Jammu and Kashmir State.
The court has already asked the Committee of Experts to ascertain the status of the Dal Lake; ascertain all measures required to be undertaken for its restoration, maintenance and preservation as well as all ancillary issues including securing the banks of the Dal Lake; re-settlement, relocation and rehabilitation of persons residing or carrying on business on its banks or in the Dal Lake (say in Houseboats etc.,) and their rehabilitation besides drawing of strict time lines from issuance of NITs to completion of work and monitoring the execution. The court also directed that the Committee shall undertake a comprehensive review of the steps taken so far by the Monitoring Committee as well as the Vigilance Committee with regard to all matters relating to the Dal Lake and assess their efficacy, adequacy and efficiency. The Committee, the court had said, shall examine any other issue opined by the experts appointed by it or which is revealed during the examination of the matter by the Committee essentially for improvement of the conditions in the Dal Lake and all person in or surrounding the Dal Lake or dependent upon the Dal Lake in any manner. "All cooperation shall be given by all persons who have been associated in any capacity with any matter relating to the Dal Lake; It shall be open for the Expert Committee to have meetings with the Vigilance Commissioners as well as the Monitoring Committee aforesaid in order to evaluate the work which has been undertaken so far. |
