Kashmir Observer reports on damaging construction that everyone wants stopped and yet no one does
Kralsangri Constructions A Political Mystery
Srinagar: Unabated construction in the supposedly green and inviolate zone of Kralsangri on the foothills of the Zabarwan and on the slopes of the Shankaracharya Hill is turning into a murky political mystery.
Despite an outcry in the public and claims of accountability from a section of the administration, the government has yet to place any restrictions on this prohibited construction or bring officials permitting it to book.
The persistent silence of the government makes the issue all the more intriguing as there are no answers to urgent questions.
The Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) which has jurisdiction over Kralsangri as it borders the Dal Lake, is understood to have granted permission to 28 constructions, bypassing the mandatory clearance from the revenue department, the forest department and the town planner.
Even big political bosses like NC president and union minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, who raised a hue and cry on the issue in a recent meeting of the district development board, appear powerless before the formless, but highly influential, syndicate driving the construction in the ecologically sensitive areas.
Government departments themselves appear clueless about the powers influencing decision-making at the top, as housing secretary, Abdul Hameed Allaqaband, who visited the sites along with other officers on the directive of the deputy chief minister, Tara Chand, had promised action against quarters responsible for the activity – assurances that have sunk without a trace.
There are still no answers to crucial questions as to who led the government when permission for the constructions was granted, who headed the LAWDA then, and who the other key officers in granting the clearance were.
Such brazen violation of land use laws could not have been possible without high-level political and bureaucratic involvement, but intriguingly, there is no clue about the hands behind the construction, except for the disturbing fact that it has been taking place during two successive governments.