Srinagar, Apr 16: Kashmir’s legendary lakes are dying. And according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the death is not entirely natural — it is being administered, slowly and methodically, by institutional neglect, administrative apathy and a shocking absence of scientific rigour in conservation efforts that were, on paper at least, generously funded.

The CAG’s reports on Hokersar and Wular — two of the most ecologically significant water bodies in Jammu and Kashmir — make for deeply uncomfortable reading. They sketch a portrait of governance failure that is as comprehensive as it is damning, raising questions not merely about competence but about intent.

At Hokersar, the numbers tell their own grim story. “Around 2,528.10 kanals of lake area has been encroached upon for construction, plantations and agricultural activities. Despite issuance of notices, authorities were unable to ensure eviction of encroachers,” the CAG report states, in language that barely conceals its exasperation. The wetland, notified as far back as July 1945 and later declared a Conservation Reserve, has been surrendered piece by piece to encroachers while the authorities watched.

The ecological consequences of this surrender are now starkly visible in satellite data. “Between 2014 and 2020, the open water area decreased by seven per cent, while scrub area increased by 1,157 per cent, siltation by 104 per cent, river area by 103 per cent, built-up area by 102 per cent and aquatic vegetation by 42 per cent,” the report recorded, attributing the transformation to anthropogenic pressure and inadequate conservation. These are not gradual, natural changes. They are the statistical signature of an ecosystem collapsing under human pressure.

At the heart of the problem, the CAG identifies a planning vacuum. “No comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan had been prepared for the lake. Instead, the Wildlife Protection Department relied on annual plans which failed to address core issues such as changes in hydrological regimes, pollution and loss of biodiversity.” Annual plans, by their nature, are reactive. They address symptoms, not causes. Without a long-term, science-backed strategy, the lake was left to deteriorate between one budget cycle and the next.

The pollution crisis has been compounded by unchecked urbanisation in the lake’s catchment. Analysis of satellite imagery and Google Earth Pro data from 2005 to 2022 revealed rapid expansion of built-up areas in Haji Bagh, Soibug and HMT (Zainakot). “The lake continues to receive inflows from these areas, aggravating pollution levels,” the report noted, adding that research studies have indicated the disappearance of native aquatic species, invasion of non-native plants and declining dissolved oxygen levels due to nutrient loading.

Perhaps the most damaging finding concerns the fate of public money. Between 2018 and 2022, Rs 46.29 crore was spent on channel construction, dredging and slope protection. Yet the flood spill channel at PadshahiBagh, “designed to carry 17,000 cusecs of water, has seen its capacity reduced to 6,000 cusecs due to siltation and accumulation of debris.” Meanwhile, “key components such as hydraulic gates, silt retention basins and sewage treatment plants were not executed, affecting water regulation and quality.” Money was spent. Infrastructure was not built. The lake continued to suffer.

The CAG was equally scathing about the quality of conservation work that was carried out. “Expenditure on these works lacked scientific basis, with no vegetation mapping, bathymetric surveys or impact assessments conducted,” it observed. Crores were disbursed for de-weeding and dredging without any baseline data to measure against, any methodology to guide the work or any assessment to evaluate its impact. It was conservation in name only.

When confronted with the audit findings, the forest department offered little by way of reassurance — only that a policy to maintain the ecological character of wetlands was “under consideration” and that efforts were underway to remove unwanted vegetation. After years of documented decline, the response amounted to an acknowledgement that the authorities had yet to begin thinking seriously about the problem.

At Wular Lake, 35 kilometres from Srinagar and among the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, the CAG found a different but equally serious dimension of failure: institutional paralysis. “Due to non-constitution of monitoring bodies, the conservation and management programme of Wularlake had suffered as policy matters of Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA) could not be decided.” Without a functioning oversight structure, the conservation authority drifted, rudderless, while the lake aged around it.

This institutional vacuum carried a direct financial penalty. The failure to produce a detailed conservation plan resulted in J&K being denied central government funding for Wular’s rejuvenation — an act of administrative negligence that compounded ecological damage with fiscal loss at the same stroke.

The afforestation record at Wular reads like a catalogue of abandoned commitments. Under the 13th Finance Commission, against a target of 2,620 hectares, only 1,725 hectares were covered — a shortfall of 34 per cent. Under the CAPEX action plan for 2020-21, the failure was far more severe: “against target for afforestation of 1,870 hectares of land at a cost of Rs 8.53 Cr, Rs 2.42 Cr was spent (28 per cent) to cover 235 hectares (shortfall 87 per cent).” Between April 2016 and March 2020, no plantation was carried out in degraded forest areas at all. No physical verification was done to check whether earlier plantations had even survived.

The consequences were predictable and predicted. “Shortfall in achievement of targets resulted in insufficient afforestation in degraded forests resulting in increase of siltation in the lake by 201.54 hectares between 2016 and 2020 and consequently contributing to hastening ageing of the lake,” the CAG noted. Forests are a lake’s first line of defence against siltation. When they are neglected, the lake pays the price.

WUCMA’s defence, when it came, was extraordinary. The authority argued that much of the bare catchment was naturally dominated by shrub growth, that allied departments had supplemented its efforts, and that since 80 per cent of water enters the lake through the Jhelum river, attributing siltation to inadequate afforestation was unfair. The CAG dismissed each argument in turn. “The reply that WUCMA need not carry out afforestation plans contradicts the provision of afforestation activities under the CAPEX action plan. Further, it is pertinent to note that even the planned targets under the action plan could not be achieved, which was indicative of failure of implementation of the catchment conservation activity,” the report observed with pointed precision.

On dredging, the numbers are perhaps the most stark illustration of the gap between expenditure and outcome. “Although Rs 185.05 Cr was spent (2011-22) on dredging of lake, only 4.5 sq. km (17 per cent) of 27 sq km of severely silted area has been dredged as of March 2022.” What happened to the dredged material was, if anything, worse. “Dykes for dumping of dredged out material were not identified and dredged out material was dumped in the auxiliary basins of the lake which remained seasonally submerged.” The solution, in effect, became part of the problem.

Taken together, the CAG’s findings on both lakes reveal something more troubling than isolated administrative failures. They reveal a pattern — of targets set and abandoned, of funds spent without accountability, of bodies constituted on paper and paralysed in practice, of scientific recommendations ignored and ecological warnings unheeded. Kashmir’s water bodies have survived centuries of history. Whether they survive another decade of this calibre of stewardship is a question the CAG has now placed, with considerable force, before the administration — and before the public that depends on these waters for its ecology, its economy and its identity.

Srinagar, Apr 16: The State Investigation Agency (SIA), Kashmir, today filed its charge sheet in a significant terrorist conspiracy case involving a covert module commonly referred to as the “Doctors Terror Module” .The charge sheet has been filed against ten (10) accused persons in connection with an FIR registered at Police Station Nowgam, Srinagar.

The case originates from an incident dated 19-10-2025, wherein provocative and threatening posters were pasted in the Nowgam area in the name of the proscribed terrorist outfit Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM). The posters were aimed at spreading fear among the public, disturbing public order, and directly challenging the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

According to the statement issued by SIA, a meticulous and sustained investigation has revealed that the poster campaign was not an isolated act, but part of a larger, well-orchestrated terrorist conspiracy aimed at reviving the banned terrorist outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH). The accused persons had formed a highly clandestine module, actively engaged in radicalisation, recruitment, and operational preparations for carrying out terrorist attacks across the country.
The investigation further established that the accused deliberately used the name of JeM to exploit its notoriety and create psychological impact, while covertly advancing the re- establishment and operational build-up of AGuH, reflecting a calculated attempt to mislead security agencies and conceal their true objectives.

Significantly, the module included highly educated individuals, including medical professionals, who misused their knowledge, access, and institutional spaces for unlawful activities. The accused were actively disseminating extremist propaganda through digital platforms and had undertaken procurement of materials and experimental activities related to explosive fabrication, including within residential premises and facilities linked to Al-Falah Medical College/University.

The investigation has revealed that the group had identified Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP)-a highly sensitive and volatile explosive used in several global terror incidents; as a preferred material due to the relative ease of sourcing its precursor components. The scale of accumulation of explosive substances and precursor materials by the module has sent shockwaves across security and investigative agencies nationwide, underscoring the seriousness of intent, level of preparedness, and the potentially catastrophic consequences had the conspiracy not been timely detected and neutralised.

Through a comprehensive, evidence-driven investigation, SIA has successfully dismantled the entire terrorist network and its support structure. The investigation has unearthed clinching and irrefutable evidence; comprising recoveries, digital forensics, scientific analysis, and corroborative
witness accounts, which firmly establishes the complicity, active participation, and coordinated roles of each accused in the conspiracy. The material brought on record not only exposes the depth and spread of the module. A substantial body of evidence has thus been collected, clearly establishing a strong prima facie case against the accused.

Those chargesheeted include (1) Arif Nisar Dar @ Sahil, R/o Bunpora Nowgam, Srinagar; (2) Yasir Ul Ashraf Bhat, R/o Bunpora Nowgam, Srinagar; (3) Maqsood Ahmad Dar @ Shahid, R/o Bunpora Nowgam, Srinagar; (4) Irfan Ahmad Wagay @ Owais, R/o Nadigam, Shopian; (5) Zameer Ahmad Ahanger @ Mutlashi, R/o Wakoora, Ganderbal; (6) Dr. Muzamil Shakeel Ganaie @ Musaib, R/o Koil, Pulwama; (7) Dr. Adeel Ahmad Rather @ Javaid, R/o Wanpora Qazigund, Kulgam; (8) Dr. Shaheen Saeed, R/o Lalbagh, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh; (9) Tufail Ahmad Bhat, R/o Diarwani, Batmaloo; and (10) Dr. Umar Un Nabi S/o Gh. Nabi Bhat, R/o Koil, Pulwama (killed in Red Fort suicide attack)

The charge sheet has been filed before the competent court of law.

The SIA reiterated its unwavering commitment to dismantling terrorist ecosystems, neutralising radical networks, and safeguarding national security. This case highlights the evolving and sophisticated nature of terror conspiracies, including the misuse of professional institutions and digital platforms, and reinforces the need for sustained vigilance and coordinated counter-terror efforts.

Further investigation is in progress.

Bandipora, Apr 16: Former Minister and senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over the delimitation exercise, alleging that the process is being driven by political considerations to strengthen the party’s base ahead of the 2029 elections.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a workers’ meeting in Bandipora, Akhtar described the Kashmir Valley as the “biggest victim” of the delimitation process. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to redraw constituency boundaries in a manner that would favour its electoral prospects.

He further asserted that minorities in India are not demanding reservation on religious grounds but are instead seeking an end to what he termed as systemic discrimination. “Minority communities are facing discrimination under the present regime, which has played now become a routine matter,” he alleged.

Commenting on the Women’s Reservation Bill, Akhtar welcomed the initiative, stating that it would create greater opportunities for women to participate equally in the democratic process. However, he added that such a measure should have been implemented much earlier.

Srinagar, Apr 16: The All Jammu and Kashmir Patwar Association (AJKPA) on Thursday announced the end of its three-day pen-down token strike, directing members to resume duties from April 17 across all districts.

The association had observed the strike on April 13, 15, and 16 to press for the fulfillment of its long-pending demands. Officials said the decision to call off the protest was taken after a meeting with the Administrative Secretary of the Revenue Department held earlier in the day.

According to a statement issued by the AJKPA, the meeting was attended by members of its apex body, including the Provincial Presidents of Kashmir and Jammu, along with their respective teams. During the discussions, key issues and demands raised by the association were deliberated upon, and the minutes of the meeting are expected to be shared separately.

The association noted that the strike witnessed “full enthusiasm and discipline” from patwaris across all districts, reflecting unity among its members.

Directing all District Presidents to ensure smooth resumption of work, the AJKPA said services will be restored with immediate effect from April 17, formally ending the pen-down protest.

However, the association issued a stern warning to the government, stating that if its “already accepted genuine demands” are not fulfilled within 45 days, it will be left with no option but to launch an indefinite strike.

The statement was issued by the Publicity Secretary of AJKPA.