Modern administrative structures, and practices, have undergone an evolutionary growth. The tasks to be performed by different administrative and governance institutions in a modern government are way different than what could have been imagined in the past. The problems of modern age – manufacturing activities, its consumerist trends, its expansive markets, the growth of transport and trade sector – all this has changed the face of modern administration and public policy beyond recognition. There are new problems faced by governments that didn’t exist earlier, altogether. At the same time there are new instruments, technological and otherwise, of governance and management. One of the huge problems in toady’s world is pollution, and the management of the sources of pollution. How to lower down levels of emission from industries and automobiles is a perpetual challenge for the governments around the world. Similarly the waste production because of very high levels of consumerism is a mind boggling problem. Our environment has been damaged a lot because of this. In our valley, waste disposal has always been a contention between civil society formations and the government institutions that are tasked with the management of waste. On the one hand there are people who blame these institutions of being oblivious to the disaster caused by wrong ways of waste dumping.
The biggest dumping site in Srinagar has been in news intermittently, and for all the bad reasons. Similarly people allege that at certain places waste dumping by the government bodies has endangered many water bodies. In recent times, Wular lake has been in the news for this reason. There are people who raise concern over waste dumping near this water body, and allege government negligence in this regard. Now there is a PIL in the Court that will take this matter up. J&K High Court is to hear a public interest litigation petition seeking directions for removing garbage, that people allege is dumped on the banks of the Wular Lake. There have been many occasions when court has intervened in matters that are of public interest. If a water body like Wular is endangered it’s time we get serious about it.