J&K HC summons top officials over flood threat in Kashmir Valley

The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Monday took note of the flood crisis in the Valley during the hearing of a public interest litigation, stated Environmental Policy Group, a Kashmir-based NGO.

Environmental Policy Group, which is the petitioner in the case, said in a statement the division bench led by the Chief Justice examined a six-page urgent report filed by EPG, which was presented before the Court by advocate Nadeem Qadri, amicus curiae appointed in the matter.

The report raised immediate concerns over preparedness, flood-control measures, and the risks to life, property and the fragile ecology of Kashmir, the statement said.

Taking cognisance of these concerns, the Court directed the senior officers including the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to appear personally before the Bench in a special hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

The Court also ordered the government of Jammu & Kashmir to take urgent steps and file a comprehensive Action Taken Report (ATR) and the matter has been listed for further consideration on September 9, the statement said.

In his written report, the EPG said the government is clueless on the way forward and those who are competent and qualified to decide the future course of action are “neither empowered nor listened to, while those who are empowered but not qualified are not inclined to act.”

The EPG report urged the Court to enforce an immediate ban on all land allotments, transfers, and construction in wetland areas, noting that rampant encroachment was compounding the Valley’s flood vulnerability.