PULWAMA — Irrigation Department has asked the encroachers over water bodies in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district to remove the illegal structures within a period of seven days, failing which strict action would be taken.
According to a notice, the people who have encroached over the irrigation land in the district have been asked to remove encroachments within seven days.
“If any person fails to remove the encroachment, the department would swing into action and people have to pay the charges of the same,” it said, adding, “Strict action under the law would be taken against the people who fail to remove illegal encroachments within the stipulated time.”
An unnamed official of the Irrigation Department was quoted by the news agency KNO as having said that hundreds of kanals of land are dependent on these water bodies for irrigation purposes besides that dozens of water supply schemes are dependent on them but on both sides of these water bodies, illegal structures have been erected. “Even trees lying there can prove dangerous sometimes,” he added.
“People at some spots have kept their bathroom pipes towards these water bodies which must be stopped as well and people must behave responsibly,” the official said, adding that if people fail to demolish the illegal structures and cut down trees, action as per the law will be taken against them.
Under the Water Resources Management Act 2010, encroachers can be booked for one year and a fine of Rs 10,000 can be imposed against them, he said. “Rs 1000 fine per day will be imposed on the encroacher till he/she doesn’t clear the illegally-occupied irrigation land,” the official said.
