BREAKING NEWS
The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Monday took strong note of the looming flood threat in the Valley, summoning top officials to appear before it after a scathing report by the Environmental Policy Group (EPG).
A division bench led by the Chief Justice was hearing the PIL EPG v. Union of India & Others when Amicus Curiae Advocate Nadeem Qadri presented a six-page urgent report prepared by EPG Convenor Faiz Bakshi. The report flagged critical gaps in preparedness, flood-control measures, and the risks posed to life, property, and Kashmir’s fragile ecology.
Taking cognisance, the Court directed the Commissioner/Secretary, Irrigation & Flood Control Department, the Commissioner/Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, and the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to personally appear before the Bench in a special hearing scheduled for Tuesday. The government was also asked to take urgent steps and file a comprehensive Action Taken Report (ATR).
Bakshi, in his report, minced no words in criticising the administration’s handling of flood control. “The government is clueless on the way forward,” he observed, adding that those qualified to act were not empowered, while those empowered lacked initiative.
He urged the Court to stop all land allotments, sales, and transfers within 500 metres of wetlands, warning that unchecked encroachment was compounding Kashmir’s vulnerability. Projects such as Rakh Arth, Transworld University, and IIM Srinagar should be halted immediately, he recommended.
The report also called for conservation of natural flood basins, creation of small storage dams in every basin and sub-basin, and pairing them with solar power to develop hybrid pumped storage systems. Bakshi noted this could address both floods and Kashmir’s power shortages simultaneously.
The Court’s move is being widely seen as a significant step toward ensuring accountability, compelling the administration to respond to expert warnings, and safeguarding millions of Valley residents who remain at risk of a repeat of the 2014 devastation.
The matter will again be taken up on September 9, when officials are expected to explain their preparedness and present the Action Taken Report.
The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Monday took strong note of the looming flood threat in the Valley, summoning top officials to appear before it after a scathing report by the Environmental Policy Group (EPG).
A division bench led by the Chief Justice was hearing the PIL EPG v. Union of India & Others when Amicus Curiae Advocate Nadeem Qadri presented a six-page urgent report prepared by EPG Convenor Faiz Bakshi. The report flagged critical gaps in preparedness, flood-control measures, and the risks posed to life, property, and Kashmir’s fragile ecology.
Taking cognisance, the Court directed the Commissioner/Secretary, Irrigation & Flood Control Department, the Commissioner/Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, and the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to personally appear before the Bench in a special hearing scheduled for Tuesday. The government was also asked to take urgent steps and file a comprehensive Action Taken Report (ATR).
Bakshi, in his report, minced no words in criticising the administration’s handling of flood control. “The government is clueless on the way forward,” he observed, adding that those qualified to act were not empowered, while those empowered lacked initiative.
He urged the Court to stop all land allotments, sales, and transfers within 500 metres of wetlands, warning that unchecked encroachment was compounding Kashmir’s vulnerability. Projects such as Rakh Arth, Transworld University, and IIM Srinagar should be halted immediately, he recommended.
The report also called for conservation of natural flood basins, creation of small storage dams in every basin and sub-basin, and pairing them with solar power to develop hybrid pumped storage systems. Bakshi noted this could address both floods and Kashmir’s power shortages simultaneously.
The Court’s move is being widely seen as a significant step toward ensuring accountability, compelling the administration to respond to expert warnings, and safeguarding millions of Valley residents who remain at risk of a repeat of the 2014 devastation.
The matter will again be taken up on September 9, when officials are expected to explain their preparedness and present the Action Taken Report.
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