Jammu and Kashmir - Illegal Construction Posing Threat To Green Cover In Valley :

Kashmir is often known to be the symbolic representation of heaven, beautifully painted with the enchanting delights of nature. Kashmir encompasses the beauty of noisy brooks and rivulets flowing with glorious majesty. The gigantic trees studded with the red leaves of Chinar, the humongous snow-capped mountains guarding the Valley. And, the breeze of fresh air, laden with the fragrance of varieties of trees, flowers and fruits.

The forest are degrading alarmingly and the biodiversity base is shrinking, disrupting the ecology seriously; especially the pristine faunal and floral life. These lead to alarming fall in water availability in the rivers and other wetland systems and, also to landslides and heavy sedimentation of reservoirs. J&K continues to lose its biodiversity at alarming rates due to habitat destruction, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution, unsustainable harvesting of natural resources, and introduction of invasive and alien species, among others. Invasive and alien species are a major threat to the environment. They threaten indigenous species through the effects of predation, alteration of habitat or disruption of ecosystem processes. The challenge of dealing with loss of biodiversity becomes even more complicated when one is dealing with shared resources where laws and policies of respective countries are not harmonized. 

However, the threat of illegal construction is now looming over the beauty of the Valley that has been kept away from the prying eyes of industrialisation. According to a Jammu Kashmir News Service (JKNS) report, the green belt areas particularly around tourist spots – Dalgate, Nishat, Gupkar, Shalimar and others, have been significantly shrunken especially after the revocation of Article 370.

The influential people are taking undue advantage of the sporadic shutdown and communication blockade in Kashmir. They are hiring labourers to materialise illegal projects in the wee hours and trying to finish them before a system is placed to monitor such activities. “The government declared the green zone in the vicinity of the Dalgate and demarcated other strategic areas in Srinagar including Nigeen lake, Shalimar garden, and Nishat gardens. The location will fetch profits to these industrialists, and that is why they are furthering with their construction.

After New Delhi scrapped Article 370 and split the state into two UT’s – Ladakh and J&K, violators benefitted from the dissolution of administration and have raised scores of illegal shelters including residential houses, shopping malls and hotels in the interiors of green belt areas. After the abrogation of article 370, the authority is in shambles. Hence, illegal construction is happening rampantly in the fringes of the Dal lake.

Kashmir is a host of rare species of flora and fauna, including migratory birds. This illegal industrialisation will surely be threatening to the rich biodiversity of Kashmir. Some people go around these areas and feel like the trees have been cut. According to sources, the encroachment around Dal lake has always been the bone of contention. Over the past four decades, the lake that attracted many connoisseurs across the globe has shrunk from 25 sq km to 12 sq km. In 2009, the Union Government approved 1,100-crore rejuvenation project for the lake. The amount was allocated for the relocation and rehabilitation of around 70,000 people living around Dal lake.

                  Sound environmental protection and management require sustainable financing. The Government budget is the single largest source of funding for protection and conservation of the environment and natural resources. However, the current allocation to environment and natural resources is inadequate. As such, there is an urgent need to complement Government funding by harnessing additional funding from multilateral funding mechanisms, development partners, private sector and civil society organizations.