Who is responsible for polluting Doodh Ganga ?
Recently the Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) initiated legal action against four Government functionaries for their failure to curb pollution in Doodh Ganga stream which supplies drinking water to a more than 6 lakh population in Srinagar uptown. Being a petitioner in this case I think it is my moral duty to put the facts before the public so that they know how things went wrong vis a vis Doodh Ganga?
In a written statement submitted by JKPCC before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently, former Commissioner of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Athar Amir Khan, former Chief Engineer Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) Mr Ifthikar Kakroo, and two more officers of Urban Local Bodies have been held responsible for causing pollution in Doodh Ganga and Mamath Kul.
The Member Secretary JKPCC who is also the Adjudicating Officer in the case as per law in his compliance report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) provided details of the violations of environmental laws and rules especially the EP Act 1986 , Water Act 1974 and MSW Rules 2016. Even after NGT passed several orders in this case and imposed penalties as well, the discharge of untreated sewage and improper solid waste disposal continues thus putting the lives of humans and animals in danger. This author moved the formal petition in NGT around 2021 and till date the Govt has not been able to address the pollution especially to set up Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in Doodh Ganga. Pertinently Govt has already committed before NGT to provide Rs 140 Crores for STPs and tenders for Rs 60 crores were already invited by UEED Kashmir but the Revenue Department had not provided land. The matter is getting delayed for the last 2 years and in-between many penalties were imposed on SMC and other authorities. Even if the STPs are set up with Rs 140 Crores will they be successful ? Can Govt assure this as we have seen most of the STPs having failed in Kashmir in the past ?
According to the Contravention Report submitted before National Green Tribunal (NGT) by J&K Pollution Control Committee, Athar Amir was responsible for preventing untreated discharge into Doodh Ganga and he failed to perform his duties. Yes he failed to prevent the discharge during his tenure but who had set up these pump stations? If they have been set up on the orders of Athar Amir Khan he should be prosecuted but if he hasn’t, then JKPCC must identify the people who allowed these sham constructions by looting the taxpayers’ money.
Mamath Kul pollution
In addition to Doodh Ganga, the case I had filed in NGT in 2021 sought protection of Mamath Kul that flows through Budgam town. A large garbage dump site was set up near the Mamath Kul more than 30 years back. The waste isn’t managed scientifically in Budgam town like other towns. In 2016- 2017 a community based organisation started source segregation of waste in 6 wards of the town and its processing as per MSW Rules on pilot basis. This work was done for 6 months with mere Rs 75000 expenses per month. This is the salary of a single class IV employee of a Govt department? The project was successful. The compost got tested in SKUAST lab as well, and results were amazing. NDTV highlighted this community work and everyone appreciated it, but due to bureaucratic hurdles the project was not extended to all the wards of the town.
The then Executive Officer Municipal Council Budgam Syed Nayeem Rizvi supported this mission and did a commendable work, but the JKPCC’s report submitted in NGT recently has indicted him for polluting Mamath Kul which is not at all correct. Pertinently Nayeem Rizvi was posted as Executive Officer MC Budgam between 9.12.2016 to 13.01.2019 and a garbage dump site was set up near Mamath Kul in 2006. Why are the real culprits not being identified?
Conclusion
In the last 4 years me and my counsels have appeared at least two dozen times before NGT in the Doodh Ganga case. I have written almost 50 articles on this issue alone which are like two PHD papers. I posted at least one dozen videos of sewage discharge into Doodh Ganga especially from the pump station located near Barzulla bridge Srinagar but it seems nobody is bothered to address the issue? By connecting the storm water drainage system with sewerage lines SMC has committed a criminal act but it needs to be seen, when the work was executed? Who okayed the design? If this was not done during the tenure of Athar Aamir Khan (2021-2024), why should he be prosecuted? Last year JKPCC indicted some tractor and truck drivers for illegal mining and gave clean chit to people who plundered Doodh Ganga with huge L&T cranes and JCBs. I will put all the facts before the NGT as well.
Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat is an Acumen Fellow and Chairman Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement
