Srinagar, Dec 9: The High Court has asked the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, to sanction additional financial assistance of Rs 356 crore – already committed - for the rehabilitation of Dal Lake dwellers within three months.
“Three months time is granted to enable the Ministry of Finance in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Forests to sanction the additional financial assistance of Rs 356 crore to enable the state government and LAWDA to carry out the rehabilitation of Dal dwellers,” says the court order.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla and Justice Hasnain Masoodi also asked LAWDA to furnish techno-economic justification within two weeks to the Ministry of Finance to enable it to sanction the amount.
The court, however, observed that the report furnished by LAWDA on November 2, 2011, was prepared in 2000 and the Authority is directed to prepare a fresh report vis-à-vis the financial assistance. In the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on conservation of Dal Lake, the Amicus Curiae in the case on Thursday objected to the report submitted by LAWDA to the Central government on the grounds that the report contained excerpts of the report previously prepared by University of Roorkee.
The court passed the direction after the arguments of the Advocate General, M Ishaq Qadri, and the submission of the Amicus Curiae that LAWDA be directed to restrict its fresh report to the justification of the release of funds.
The Division Bench in its order passed on November 1, 2011, had directed the GOI to take appropriate action with regard to release funds to the tune of Rs 356 crores required by the state government for rehabilitation and acquisition process of Dal dwellers including their shifting from the lake. “For this purpose LAWDA was to submit techno-economic report justifying the release of funds and the report was perused by the court,” the Amicus Curiae, Z A Shah, told Greater Kashmir.
Advocate Naresh Kausik, representing Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Environment, Government of India, along with Assistant Solicitor General, S A Makroo, assured the court that the funds will be released within three months to enable the LAWDA to speed up acquisition and shifting of the Dal dwellers.The court directed for posting the case in the  last week of February, 2012.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 9 Dec 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 9 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:00:00 IST