Kashmir Observer;Tuesday, July 26, 2011,
Srinagar; Awami National Conference (ANC) has sought information regarding encroachment and earth filling of water bodies of Kurwansar and Sheikhsar in Sumbal area of Bandipur district.
In a statement ANC Senior Vice President, Mr. Muzaffar Shah, said that the above two water bodies spread over more than one thousand kannals of wetland have been turned into dry lands by way of encroachments and earth fillings by the land mafia at the behest of the political masters, depriving the people of fresh spring water, and migratory birds their habitat.
“To facilitate the speedy drying up of the wet lands, the Government has even installed a dewatering station turning the water body into dry area thus enabling the land mafia to grab the state land/water bodies and the Government has even started developing a playing field on the encroached/dried up wetland area of the said water bodies”, Shah alleged.
The Government has also built a road bisecting the wet lands into two, the statement added.
He has demanded that the earth filling and the encroachment of the said wetlands be stopped immediately.
Concerned about the depleting forest cover in the state, ANC has also sought Information Under Sec 4 of J&K RTI Act 2004 regarding the forest cover as it existed during the survey of Mr. Walter Lawrence (Settlement Commissioner during Maharaja Hari Singh) as it existed then and the forest cover of the state as it exists today, district wise of the J&K State and details of the shortage in forest cover and the recipients of the forest land that has been cleared and either encroached by the people or allotted to the general public.
The party has also sought district wise information regarding Issue of BPL ration cards to the people of the State. So that it could be ascertained as to who are the actual beneficiary of this scheme as most of the deserving households are deprived of this.
In a statement ANC Senior Vice President, Mr. Muzaffar Shah, said that the above two water bodies spread over more than one thousand kannals of wetland have been turned into dry lands by way of encroachments and earth fillings by the land mafia at the behest of the political masters, depriving the people of fresh spring water, and migratory birds their habitat.
“To facilitate the speedy drying up of the wet lands, the Government has even installed a dewatering station turning the water body into dry area thus enabling the land mafia to grab the state land/water bodies and the Government has even started developing a playing field on the encroached/dried up wetland area of the said water bodies”, Shah alleged.
The Government has also built a road bisecting the wet lands into two, the statement added.
He has demanded that the earth filling and the encroachment of the said wetlands be stopped immediately.
Concerned about the depleting forest cover in the state, ANC has also sought Information Under Sec 4 of J&K RTI Act 2004 regarding the forest cover as it existed during the survey of Mr. Walter Lawrence (Settlement Commissioner during Maharaja Hari Singh) as it existed then and the forest cover of the state as it exists today, district wise of the J&K State and details of the shortage in forest cover and the recipients of the forest land that has been cleared and either encroached by the people or allotted to the general public.
The party has also sought district wise information regarding Issue of BPL ration cards to the people of the State. So that it could be ascertained as to who are the actual beneficiary of this scheme as most of the deserving households are deprived of this.
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