Civil society calls for rethink on SC order

The Supreme Court directive asking the government to build a road to the Amarnath cave shrine and improve infrastructure along it is likely to snowball into a controversy

The Supreme Court directive asking the government to build a road to the Amarnath cave shrine and improve infrastructure along it is likely to snowball into a controversy. A day after Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed concerns over the apex courts directive,civil society groups in Kashmir called for a rethink. A resolution passed by the civil society has expressed serious concerns over the court directions saying that any politicisation of the pilgrimage could be fraught with serious consequences.

The vast population of the Kashmir valley depends on the drinking water that originates from the glaciers around the Amarnath site. We believe any increased human activity through large scale construction works will greatly enhance pollution,pose serious challenges to public health and result in irreversible damage to the flora and fauna of the area,critical to tourism and agriculture of the region. Conserving the pristine waters of the Lidder,Sindh,Jhelum rivers and their tributaries must be a common goal,irrespective of religious beliefs,political affiliation or any worldview one might subscribe to, says the resolution signed by intellectuals,academics,doctors and journalists.

We strongly believe that the principles of conservation for environment and administrative facilitation as applied to the pilgrimage to holy Gangotri and the larger conservation plans for the holy Ganga river be applied to the pilgrimage to Amarnath shrine as was the established practice in the past. Any politicisation of the pilgrimage could be fraught with serious consequences, it says.

Story continues below this ad

Referring to the governments nod for declaring 135-km stretch of Ganga between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi as an eco-sensitive zone,the civil society has called for implementation of similar principles in case of Amarnath Yatra.

We demand that the same principles be applied for the conservation of the area surrounding the Amarnath shrine in Kashmir and no human activity be undertaken there in a manner that will irreversibly damage the fragile ecology of the area. the resolution says.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had expressed concerns over the SC directive saying the road to the cave shrine would be an environmental disaster.

No plans to build road: J&K govt

Denying any plans to construct a road to the Amarnath shrine,the Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday said the high-powered committee,set up by the Supreme Court,had not yet given its recommendation on the matter. The state government has no plans to make a road to the Amarnath cave shrine. The pilgrims will continue to use ponies and palanquins for the journey, J&K Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather told reporters here. PTI

Indian techie shot dead by police in US’ California; family urges MEA to bring back body

World42 min ago

A 30-year-old man from Telangana, Mohammed Nizamuddin, was allegedly shot dead by police in Santa Clara, California. His father, Mohammed Hasnuddin, is seeking assistance from the Indian and Telangana state governments to bring back his son's body. The exact circumstances of the incident remain unclear, but Nizamuddin's father has appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs for help.

View all shorts

Live Blog