The encroachment of agriculture land and water bodies does not head to any dead end in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division as the initiatives for preserving water bodies and protecting agriculture land are just reduced to papers. While the encroachers encroach water bodies for their own conveniences at their own whims and wishes, the land grabbers encroach water bodies for conversion of marshy lands into construction zones across Kashmir. Even the municipal bodies throw rules to winds in granting building permissions for constructions on even wetlands drying up fast in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. Though Government has banned constructions on agriculture land used for cultivation of rice almost a decade ago but municipal bodies grant permissions for construction on the agricultural land used for cultivation of rice across Kashmir. While the agriculture land is fast reducing in area across Jammu & Kashmir, neither the agriculture department nor the scientists in twin agriculture universities of Kashmir and Jammu raise their concerns over the fast reducing agricultural land in area across Jammu & Kashmir. While the encroachment of water bodies should have attracted concerns from environmentalists, the encroachment of agriculture land for construction purposes should have attracted concerns from the agriculture scientists of both Kashmir and Jammu agriculture universities. Amid silence of the environmentalists and agriculture scientists over the encroachment of water bodies and agriculture land the encroacher carry out their encroachment plans without any resistance from any responsible quarter within or outside the government.
Since land encroachers are executing their well designed encroachment plans with the clout of power wielding functionaries of the municipal bodies and revenue department across Jammu & Kashmir, the fast increasing trend and tendency of encroachment of agriculture land and water bodies can’t be curbed without the inspection of the construction site and supervision of the approved construction plan by a third party which should be accountable before a statutory authority.
The growing menace of encroachment of the agriculture land and water bodies would most likely bring agriculture in Kashmir at the brink of extinction and reduce the famed water bodies to just few nallahs if stringent measures are not taken to curb the fast increasing encroachment of agriculture land and water bodies across Jammu & Kashmir. The increasing encroachment of both the agriculture land and as well as water bodies is a wake up call for the government departments assigned the responsibility of protecting agriculture land and preserving water bodies in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. Since land encroachers are executing their well designed encroachment plans with the clout of power wielding functionaries of the municipal bodies and revenue department across Jammu & Kashmir, the fast increasing trend and tendency of encroachment of agriculture land and water bodies can’t be curbed without the inspection of the construction site and supervision of the approved construction plan by a third party which should be accountable before a statutory authority.
