S Tahir-ul Haq
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 10: The fight between two north Kashmir constituencies over shifting of waste dumping site in apple town Sopore raked up in lower house of J&K Legislature on Friday. It is learnt that as soon as the business resumed this morning, Opposition lawmakers raised hue and cry over shifting of waste dumping site in Apple town Sopore. After silence returned in the house, Congress' Sopore MLA informed the house that government has violated its own decision while shifting a dumping site from Sopore. "Late Mufti Sahab had identified land measuring 95 Kanals and 11 Marlas at Tulibal for waste dumping, Lawmaker Haji Abdul Rashid told the house, "but, yesterday, PDP-BJP government with the help of Police and CRPF has shifted the dumping site to Aadipora against the wishes of the residents." He questioned the seriousness of the government in implementing its own decisions. "Your Government had decided that Waste Dumping Site will be situated at Tulibal in 2015 DDB which was chaired by late Mufti Sayeed. He had sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for fencing of the site as well," Rashid said. He said that the present government has withheld the money as well. "Youth were made pelt stones on Municipality vehicles and a few of the vehicles were damaged," he said, "Basharat Bukhari knows it very well as people from his constituency are involved." Responding to the accusation of Congress MLA, PDP Minister Ab Haq Khan told the house, "actually there is a fight between two constituencies: Sangrama and Sopore." He said that Tulibal is located in Sangrama and the waste dumped at the site comes from Sopore which "doesn't go well with the Sangrama locals. "The people of Sangrama are up in arms against the dumping site," he told the house asserting that matter will be looked into and Sopore MLA will be taken into confidence. Notably, Sopore Constituency is represented by Haji Ab Rashid and Sangrama Constituency by PDP Minister Syed Basharat Bukhari. The issue which was raised in the house comes in the wake of "garbage crisis" in Sopore. "First, a site at Tulibal was identified for garbage dumping, but the residents there opposed it with the support of their MLA. Now, the dumping site at Adipora is facing opposition from congress MLA. |
