Srinagar: Taking undue advantage of present unrest, the miscreants are leaving no stone unturned to construct illegal structures and encroach portions of Dal Lake.
Unabated construction of illegal structures is going and miscreants are also encroaching portions of Dal Lake, said eye witnesses.
The unlawful activities in and around this world famous water body has pained all and one, who said that authorities must take cognizance of matter and put all possible efforts to stop it.
“Illegal structures are coming up at Saida Kadal, Nishat, Shalimar, Hazratbal, Dalgate and its adjacent areas. The illegal structures are also coming up at interior localities of Dal,” said eye witnesses.
They added that at Saida Kadal some influential persons are also using political pressure on concerned authorities to not take any action under law against them.
“At Saida Kadal, some illegal structures, both residential and commercial are coming up. Authorities are under pressure to not take any action against them. The violators are using political pressure on officials,” said locals.
The added that construction material to those places is ferried in trucks and load carriers during night.
“Most of the constructions are undertaken during night. The illegal structures don’t only come up on private property, but the vested interests are encroaching portions of Dal Lake. When the locals resist the moves of encroachers, they threaten them,” they said.
In interior localities of Dal Lake, some miscreants have start filling up the portion of lake to encroach it.
“They do it to add that portion to their plots. It is very unfortunate that at time when entire Kashmir is burning, these miscreants are damaging our heritage,” said locals.
Meanwhile, unchecked growth of weeds and azolla in Dal Lake is taking heavy toll on its ecosystem and diminished its beauty.
The portions of Dal Lake at Hazratbal, Nishat, Dalgate, Saida Kadal, Rainawari and its adjacent areas present an ugly look due to presence of weeds.
“De-weeding has not been carried in this portion of Dal since long. In case, de-weeding is delayed more, it will have adverse affect on the eco-system of this water body,” said locals.
“It is disappointing to see world famous Dal Lake filled with weeds these days. State government must take measures on priority to maintain natural beauty of this lake,” they added.
The presence of azolla on the surface of water has defaced the lake.
“Authorities must take necessary measures to lift the azolla. It defaces the beauty of lake,” said Numan, a local.
“During present unrest, we have filed 115 FIRs against violators and demolished 68 structures,” said senior official of LAWDA.
He added that de-weeding is also taking place. “However, the manual de-weeding was affected as laborers who carry it are unable to reach at sites,” he added.
He said that large portion of Dal has been cleaned and the process to clear entire water body is going on. (KNS)
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