Jammu, Feb 6 : The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday said it has decided to replace the decades-old relocation policy for Dal Lake dwellers with a new ‘in-situ conservation model’, under which residents will be allowed to stay in ‘eco-hamlets’ developed within the water body.
In a written reply in the legislative assembly to a question by legislator Tanvir Sadiq, the Housing and Urban Development department as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) said the shift in policy came after a high-level committee found the previous rehabilitation model had yielded “only 27 per cent” progress over 36 years.
The committee, headed by the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, noted that Dal dwellers constitute an “integral part” of the lake ecosystem and their continued stay is “equally important” to keep it “vibrant, dynamic and lively”.
The department rejected suggestions of neglect, stating that about 1,808 families have so far been rehabilitated at the Rakh-e-Arth colony with free land and compensation.
Under the new plan, 58 existing hamlets within the Dal Lake will be developed as ‘eco-hamlets’. Work on six hamlets has already been taken up under the UT Capex budget, with one – Kachri Mohalla – already completed as a ‘modern village’, the reply said.
A sewerage network for six hamlets has been laid and detailed project reports for modular sewage treatment plants are under preparation, it added.
The administration has also framed a Rs 212.38-crore project titled ‘Integrated Management Programme for conservation of Dal-Nigeen Lake ecosystem’, which has been accepted in principle by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The five-year project aims to address sewerage in 28 internal hamlets, treat inflow from catchment areas and dredge interior channels. It is currently awaiting final approval from the finance department, the reply stated. (KNS)
