Early Times Report
Srinagar, Mar 4: Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Badar Durrez Ahmed called upon judges to pass prompt orders in accordance with the law in the cases pertaining to encroachment of wetlands and river systems.
The Chief Justice was speaking at the inauguration of one day sensitisation programme on Forest and Wildlife Conservation, including laws dealing with Birds and Wetland Conservation organised at J&K State Judicial Academy at Moominabad in Srinagar.
Judges of the High Court including Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, Justice M K Hanjura, Member, J&K State Judicial Academy, Director J&K State Judicial Academy Abdul Rashid Malik, Chief Judicial Magistrates and Munsiffs of Kashmir Province were present on the occasion.
The programme was also attended by the officials of the Forest and Wildlife Departments; Dr Pankaj Chandan, Team Leader, Western Himalayas, WWF-India; Moulika Arabhi, Advisor, Centre for Environmental Law; and other dignitaries.
"We are living in paradise and it is our duty to preserve this diversity not only in Kashmir but also in Jammu and Ladakh as well. Forests are very essential. The flood of 2014 is inter-connected to what is happening around us. Wetlands are also important," Justice Ahmed said in his speech.
He said the Dal Lake is shrinking and the volume of its water has definitely reduced because of sewage and silt coming into the Lake. This has resulted in a complete change in biodiversity. Snow trout population has been reduced to 10-15 percent and overtaken by the Carp which was not native to Dal Lake but has been introduced and that changes the entire ecosystem of the Lake," he said |
