The Rising Kashmir editorial asks the government to review laws and make them more stringent to safeguard Valley’s natural resources for future generations.
Kashmir’s Plunder
In a bid to check the encroachment in Pahalgam, the High Court Monday directed the state fovernment to file an affidavit giving full particulars of people who have violated the Master Plan and municipal regulations in the area. The Court also ordered that the inquiry into the First Investigation Report filed by Vigilance Department should not be conducted by an officer below SP rank.
In the last twenty years of conflict, Kashmir’s environment has been at the receiving end of vested interests. Under the garb of unrest, massive encroachments have plagued all major tourist destinations in Kashmir. Dal, Nageen, Anchar lakes have been reduced to pounds by encroachers and places like Gulmarg and Pahalgam have also seen massive infringement in the last two decades. During the last summer unrest encroachers took full advantage of the situation as many new constructions propped up in the greenbelt areas. This could not have been possible without the help of government officials who turned blind eye to the violations. In those days one could easily see trucks carrying soil for filling large tracts of state land near Hokersar, at a time when not even milkmen were being allowed to move. Pahalgam has also witnessed construction of new hotels during these months. When the unrest first broke in Kashmir in late 80s, Dal and Nageen lakes not only saw unprecedented illegal constructions but also large scale encroachment. The problem goes deeper when it comes to deforestation. It seems forest department has joined hands with the smuggling mafia to denude the forests. In Rafiabad, timber smugglers used ambulances to smuggle wood during the summer unrest. It was impossible for them to do so without the patronage of forest department and help of the local residents. In the upper reaches of Budgam, smugglers ally with the locals as they pay them Rs 3000 per-night to cut the expensive timber from the local forests.
The government as well the people should shoulder the responsibility of conserving our natural resources. It should not take High Court to deliver orders for protection of Kashmir’s rich resources. While the conscientious sections of our society could set off a debate around the survival of the state amid such random loot, the state authorities could review the laws and make them more stringent so that the violators or officials willing to collaborate with the violators don’t escape punishment for harming the future of future generations.