Environmental Violations in Jammu Kashmir: NGT Summons Jammu Kashmir PWD Secretary

Environmental Violations in Jammu Kashmir: NGT Summons Jammu Kashmir PWD Secretary

VoM News Desk | January 5, 2025 | 11:29 PM IST | Breaking News, Jammu Kashmir | Follow on Google News

Environmental Violations in Jammu Kashmir: NGT Summons Jammu Kashmir PWD Secretary

SRINAGAR: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has summoned the Administrative Secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD) of Jammu and Kashmir to appear in person regarding alleged environmental violations during the construction of the Handwara-Bungus road in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

The Principal Bench, comprising Justice Prakash Srivastava (Chairperson), Justice Sudhir Aggarwal (Judicial Member), and Dr A Senthil Vel (Expert Member), issued the directive during a hearing of a case filed by Advocate Rasikh Rasool Bhat, a lawyer and RTI activist from Handwara. The next hearing is scheduled for April 22 2025.

Advocate Bhat alleged that the road construction project undertaken by the PWD’s Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division in Handwara caused significant environmental damage, including the felling of over 25,000 forest trees and illegal riverbed mining, in violation of J&K Minor Mineral Concession Rules. He further claimed that the project proceeded without the necessary environmental clearances.

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“I approached the NGT after repeated pleas to the government went unanswered. Despite being served notices, the PWD failed to respond to allegations of environmental violations,” Advocate Bhat said.

The NGT, in its order dated January 2 2025, noted: “Despite notices served and multiple hearings on 25 April 2024, 7 August 2024, and 19 November 2024, no response was filed by respondent number 2, the Administrative Secretary, PWD, or respondent number 5, the Executive Engineer of the R&B Division Handwara. These officers are primary respondents responsible for the alleged violations. We, therefore, direct the Administrative Secretary to appear at the next hearing and address the allegations.”

The tribunal’s order followed a report filed by the J&K Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) on 18 November 2024, which highlighted discrepancies in the material usage. The report revealed a shortfall of 2,728.82 metric tonnes between the construction material consumed and the disposal permits obtained. The PWD failed to justify this discrepancy.

The petitioner has also urged the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to initiate an inquiry through the J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (JKACB).

In a recent hearing, the Executive Engineer of the R&B Handwara division appeared before the tribunal but was unable to explain the department’s lack of responsiveness in earlier proceedings.

The Handwara-Bungus road project has faced scrutiny for nearly a year, with the NGT expressing concern over the lack of accountability and transparency in addressing the environmental violations.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by VoM News staff and is published from the syndicated feed)

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