Illegal construction comes at WetLand Doodhganga | Admin gives owner week time to demolish structure

Wajahat Shabir. Updated: 7/23/2021 3:51:35 PM Jammu and Kashmir

SRINAGAR: The administration has given a week's time to a Srinagar resident to demolish the illegal structure which it has built on a wetland Doodhganga, Narkar Numbal in Srinagar.

Reports said that the construction of a multi-story residential flat is going on at irrigation Khul at Toiba Colony-Nadrigund Peerbagh, Srinagar which is violating the High Court’s NGT order as well as the Jammu and Kashmir Water Resource Regulations & Management Act 2010. The structure is being built on 25 Kanals of wetland.

Documents accessed by The News Now reveal that the construction for basement plus six storeyed residential flats consisting of eight blocks vide order no 4250 of 2019 dated 16-10-2019 had been given by Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). However, after the cross-check by the SMC, it was found that no NOC has been brought from the Irrigation and Flood Control Department Kashmir, the document reads.

Whereas, the SMC had already made a clear cut recommendation to the SDA and Town Planning Organisation that Narkar Numbal be classified as Flood detention basis post-2014 floods.

Sources said that the Executive Engineer Flood Spill Channel Division Narbal in an official communiqué written to SMC Commissioner Athar Amir has said that construction and any allied activities if allowed will reduce the flood detention capacity of this important wetland and will have catastrophic consequences for flood mitigation of Srinagar city.

“It is accordingly requested that the permission granted for the building in the subject matter be revoked forthwith and new permissions for construction and filling in the wetland may not granted to stop the menace”, the official communiqué read.

Taking note of the official communiqué, the Joint Commissioner Planning SMC had put the building permission in abeyance/on hold till further order.

However, Assistant Executive Engineer Flood Spill Channel Sub Division Rambagh has issued a notice to the owner to demolish the structure, a copy of which lies with The News Now.

The notice reads referring to the owner of the construction reads, “You have violated Section 83 (1) and 165 (f) of Jammu and Kashmir Resources and Regulations and Management Act, 2010 by way of construction of boundary wall of cement concrete hollow blocks, on irrigation Khul at Toiba Colony-Nadrigund-Peerbagh”.

The land on which construction is being done is a wetland/flood detention basin of Doodganga i.e Narkara Numbal, hence you have also violated High Court NGT directions passed dated 10th May 2019, read the order dated-25/02/2020, besides violating High Court orders PIL-2/2014, reads the notice.

The notice further added that the owner's mate and workers were told to stop the work on-site on July 15, however, your mate misbehaved and used unparliamentarily language against the officials, besides trying to manhandled the staff, thus violating section 168(h) of Jammu and Kashmir Water Resource Regulations & Management Act 2010.

“Now, therefore the medium of notice you are directed to remove the said construction/encroachment within seven days, failing which the same shall get removed at your risk and cost and action as warranted under rules shall be initiated, which may be noted, the notice reads.


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