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| Despite Kashmir having natural lakes, Gulmarg got artificial lake | | |
Abdul Majid
Early Times Report
Srinagar, May 20: The ruling coalition could be having reservations to complete construction of the much-needed artificial lake in Jammu, but a decade ago the then Peoples Democratic Party-Congress alliance braved all criticism to ensure construction of artificial lake in Gulmarg in time.
Though Kashmir has numerous natural lakes and thus there was little or no need of any artificial one, the then government led by Mufti Muhammad Sayeed got artificial lake constructed at the ski resort of Gulmarg.
The construction of this artificial lake, which started after the PDP-Congress alliance came to power in 2002, wasn't any cakewalk for the coalition as it witnessed stiff resistance from various quarters.
Primarily it was the environmentalists and the security agencies who opposed it. The environmentalists pleaded that Kashmir having plenty of natural lakes didn't need any more of lakes adding that the "artificial element would deface the virginity of the Gulmarg meadows".
Amid massive public outcry, the project was termed "wastage of public money". But this wasn't the only concern. There were bigger issues concerning national security as the Army had reservations over the construction.
The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), a training and research establishment of the Indian Army is situated in the vicinity of the site. In 1948, Indian Army established a ski school in Gulmarg which later became the High Altitude Warfare School of the Indian Army specializing in snow-craft and winter warfare.
"Army had strong reservations that the lake must not be constructed in the proximity of this vital military installation of strategic importance having direct impact on national security… But following meetings with the government top brass the issue was resolved in the interest of tourism while one can genuinely say that say security was compromised," recapped a senior police official in know of the matter. Subsequently the lake work started alongside construction of an amusement park.
Officials said the state government was so dedicated to see the lake constructed in time that during the two years of project execution, ministers would prefer holding meetings or official events in Gulmarg alone, some 50 miles from Srinagar. "There was only one reason of doing so. It was to have personal monitoring to see that the artificial lake work was on apace," said an official then associated with the Gulmarg Development Authority.
Finally, in September 2004, the PDP dream project was ready and inaugurated by none other than Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed himself. Describing the artificial lake as a "significant addition" to the tourist attraction in Gulmarg, Mufti had said "it was missing at this otherwise breathtaking beautiful place." "This lake and the multipurpose park with children's amusement corner will be the most sought after place by tourists," he had said.
On May 17 this year, the state government announced that it has shelved the construction of an artificial lake over the Tawi river as it was not "feasible". This is the second major project which Jammu has lost out on in the three months of the BJP-PDP government in J&K.
The project for the construction of artificial lake over Tawi was first conceived during Ghulam Nabi Azad's regime between 2006-08 and it was scheduled to cover the area falling between Bahu Fort upto Sidhra Bridge. However, work on the project started in 2010 and its area got shifted between Bhagwati Nagar to Gujjar Nagar Bridge. The delay in completion of the project also led to an increase in its estimated cost from Rs 23 crore to Rs 70 crore.
This was the second major project which Jammu appears to have lost in less than three months under the PDP-BJP coalition government. Earlier last month, people in Jammu had observed complete shutdown in protest against alleged shifting of AIIMS from the region to Kashmir. |
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