Srinagar: Governor N.N. Vohra chaired a meeting to review the ongoing Dal-Nageen Lake Conservation, Management and Rehabilitation programs. B.B. Vyas, Advisor to Governor; BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; K.B. Agarwal, Financial Commissioner, Housing and Urban Development Department; Umang Narula, Principal Secretary to Governor; Navin Choudhary, Principal Secretary Finance; Baseer Khan, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; S.P. Pani, IGP Kashmir; A.H. Shah, VC LAWDA; Dr. A.R. Yousuf, Chairman, Scientific Advisory Committee; A.M Raina, VC Srinagar Development Authority; and Fayaz Ahmed Khan, Chief Town Planner, participated in the meeting.
After reviewing the cleaning and de-weeding programs of Dal Lake, Governor directed that the cleaning of Dal Lake must commence immediately, but no later than 25th July. VC LAWDA was directed to: (i) formulate a concrete proposal for the effective sewage disposal of 900 House Boats; (ii) assess capacity of existing STPs against total of the existing demand and determine the number and capacity of all those who had encroached on the Lake; (iii) list all issues regarding the relocation of all those who had encroached on the Lake; list all those who have been rehabilitated and have returned to the Lake; prepare a list of all building/refer sanctions issued since 1-1-17; immediately organize satellite mapping of the entire Dal Lake area, once every month.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir was directed to initiate the identification and removal of all Dal dwellers who after receiving compensation are still living in their previous habitations. He shall also prepare a list of fresh encroachments/ Master Plan violations with in the entire Dal Lake area on urgent basis.
Governor directed K. B. Agarwal, FC HUDD to implement, on time bound basis, the SAC’s decision regarding procurement and hiring of lake cleaning machinery. FC, HUDD, apprised Governor regarding the importance of construction of a Western Foreshore Road for permanent prevention of ingress and delineation of western Boundary of the Lake.
Governor asked the Chief Secretary to very early review all issues pertaining to the preservation of Dal Lake and especially examine the economic viability of the proposal for the construction of 20,000 dwelling units at Rakh-e-Arth for Dal dwellers, to be executed by the J&K Housing Board in the PPP mode.
