Seeks Rs 11248 cr for integrated conservation, inclusive development of water bodies
By: Ibni Maqbool
Srinagar: In a significant development, the Jammu and Kashmir government has submitted a proposal to the Government of India for conservation and inclusive development of Jehlum, Wular and Dal water bodies.
Official documents in possession of The Precious Kashmir that J&K administration has sought Rs 11428 crores for integrated protection and development of these three vital water bodies.
According to the documents, the proposals have been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs for approval and funding.
The government has sought Rs 5279 Cr for Dal lake, Rs 1138 Cr for Wular lake and 5011 Cr for Jhelum river.
It is pertinent to mention that government has spent crores of rupees for conservation and inclusive development of these water bodies in the past two decades under different schemes.
In September 2018, the J&K government informed the High Court that Rs 759 crores were spent on conservation of Dal Lake and the infrastructural development for the affected dwellers of the water body.
It informed the Court that out of Rs 400.96 crores allocated by the Central government for conservation of the lake, Rs 359.93 crores were utilized.
Out of Rs 428.29 crores allocated by the state, the government had spent 399.07 crores, it said.
Under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP), Rs 120 crore were allocated for conservation and management of Wular lake but only Rs 60 crore were utilized.
The Government of India has also kept funding for comprehensive flood management of river Jhelum and its tributaries, under the Prime Minister’s Development Programme (PMDP) for J&K.
