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Even after one and half year State water policy not implemented

Subodh Bhasin. Dated: 10/14/2017 10:48:53 AM

Subodh Bhasin
Jammu, Oct 13
To matter of worry and neglect senior officials who are supposed to finalize the state water policy are sleeping over the matter despite the fact that State High Court after regular intervals have directed for non-compliance to its directions during the past over one and half year and The Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising of six Ministers has failed to finalize the first ever State Water Policy, the senior bureaucrats have been facing the ire of the State High Court.
In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) looking for strict implementation to Section 4 of the J&K Water Resources (Regulation and Management) Act, a Division Bench of the State High Court in the long stretch of February 2016 guided the Government to outline the State Water Policy and Plan for better arranging, improvement and administration of water assets. The Government gave careful consideration towards the bearings of the High Court and proceeded with the dithering approach regardless of monitoring the way that such a strategy was of colossal significance particularly to check loopholes, encroachment and other reasons and redirection of water bodies like waterways, lakes, lakes, wetlands and seepage channels by reserving the water courses in the wake of breaking down information of recent decades. Anguished over rebelliousness to the mandates and routine with regards to looking for time allotment after consistent interims, the High Court was compelled to look for individual appearance of the Commissioner Secretary to Government, Department of PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control. At long last, the draft of the primary ever State Water Policy and Plan was set up after wild thoughts and the same was set before the State Cabinet under hint to the High Court.
The Cabinet vide its Decision No.71/5/2017 dated June 7, 2017 submitted the draft policy to the Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister and involving Ministers for Revenue and Disaster Management, Forest, Social Welfare, Finance and PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control. From that point, the General Administration Department issued Order No.745 dated June 14, 2017 specifying that Cabinet Sub-Committee has been made a request to present its report inside a time of one month. Indeed, even after this progression no advance could be made versus conclusion and warning of State Water Policy and Plan which prompted filing a contempt petition to in the High Court. Presently, the Division Bench has issued notice to the Chief Secretary, who is likewise Secretary to the Cabinet, while giving last and last chance to conform to the request issued in February 2016and has been told in clear that in the event of further non compliance of court direction he his personal appearance is required.