It is sub-zero temperatures in Srinagar and one of its biggest tourist attractions, the Dal Lake is already frozen. But in the Summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, there is a fight brewing over the lake.
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the GOC Army, LAWDA are locking horns over who is responsible for cleaning up and de-weeding the lake. It all began with the SMC beginning a 21 day-long cleaning mission at the Dal lake in collaboration with army and local public.
The drive was headed by newly-elected Deputy Mayor Shiekh Imran and at least eighty Army boats and three hundred shikaras of Dal along with SMC men and machinery took part in the cleaning operation.
Shiekh Imran who posted photos of the operation suggested that it was on his request? the army and LAWDA joined the initiative.
However this did not go down well with Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu from Sajad Lone-led People¡¯s Conference.
In a series of tweets Mattu suggested that the Army needs to venture into civil governance domains as it is not their job. He also added that SMC has not entered into any collaborative operation with the Army for any cleaning, de-weeding operations in Dal which is the domain of Lakes & Waterways Development Authority.?
Mattu said that a proposed collaborative drive in peripheries with LWDA is still being planned and all such ¡°collaborations¡± require official authorization and MoUs.?
Earlier, an army spokesperson had said that A joint task force of Army, Land and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) and Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is presently working towards this mission and is currently sharing the technical expertise and infrastructure available with them for the same".
The Army spokesperson said that as a pilot project, this joint task force is working towards improving the present speed of de-weeding, assessing the quantum and types of equipment and machines required for de-weeding besides ascertaining the strategy to contain the contributing factors of weeding in the Dal Lake.
AP
The Dal lake which is spread over 22 sq kms is one of the iconic landmarks of Srinagar and most famous for its shikara boats.
However, in the recent years, the lake has suffered due to neglect, increasing habitation, lack of waste management. The ever growing weeds are also slowing killing the lake.