Congress legislator from Bandipora constituency, Nizamuddin Bhat, Tuesday alleged that Jammu and Kashmir’s dual power structure has spawned a “devil’s authority”, creating administrative paralysis.
Talking to Greater Kashmir outside the Assembly complex, MLA Bandipora said the civil secretariat stands divided with no hierarchy and no link between authority and subordination.
“There is one elite class which is controlled by the Lok Bhavan and another class of officers which is controlled by the popular government. Naturally, there are two types of decisions,” he said.
“This is the first problem, and the second problem is the lack of power with the elected government,” he added.
MLA Nizamuddin Bhat said the Lieutenant Governor earlier held absolute authority before the formation of the popular government.
“He made the law. He broke the law. He could do whatever he wanted to do because there was one single authority. This is the nature of democracy. Now they (elected government) is in power but with limited authority,” he said.
He said authority now stands divided at administrative, political, constitutional and legal levels.
“You have divided the law as well because there is one constitution which is in J&K. We are being attributed to the Reorganisation Act. When there are two laws, there is no need to go to the second law,” he said.
About the Wular Lake, MLA Nizamuddin Bhat said the lake was the largest clean water body in the world once, hosting a larger community. “But when human fiddling, population boom and negligence at the administrative or environmental level came, our natural assets suffered,” he said.
He rejected the popular notion that the lake was fed by the Jhelum, Kishan Ganga or their tributaries, calling them merely flowing streams. “Wular’s source is not in Jhelum, not in Kishan Ganga, not his tributaries. Jehlum passes through the middle. When Jehlum has a level, it comes to the level of Wular. When Jehlum weakens, the ground is visible below. So that is not the source,” he said.
The actual source, he said, was a natural, gushing, oozing spring in the Watlab area that cleaned the lake and maintained its water level as well.
MLA Nizamuddin Bhat said the Wular project was conceived at Rs 360 crore, with Rs 307 crore allocated in 2011 and Rs 120 crore released, leading to the formation of the Wular Development Authority (WDA).
“Then that Wular Development Authority was also divided. So there too, devil authority was formed again. To save this lake, Rs 360 crore was not enough money to make an authority, create human resources, infrastructure, then add inhabitants of the lake. That cannot be done in Rs 360 crore,” he said.
Asked about the Manasbal and Wular development authorities, both linked to tourism and equipped with monetary and human resources, MLA Bandipora Nizamuddin Bhat said the core question remains unanswered.
“Why has Wular lost its size and the level of the water? Why has that declined?” he asked.
He said the government has not adopted the scientific approach it should have and has failed to stop human fiddling.
“Sand mafia is either growing on Jhelum or is growing on Walur. Look at the banks of Wular; they are so deep. The sound of fish is also gone. The sound of sandals is also gone. The water is also unclean, ugly,” he said.
MLA Bhat said he raised the issue at various forums.
