Jammu and Kashmir High Court has granted last opportunity to Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) to file compliance with regard to handling disposal of solid and liquid wastes at the tourist resort in north Kashmir.
“We grant one such opportunity subject to payment of Rs 25,000 which shall be deposited within seven days in the Advocates Welfare Fund,” said a division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta.
The Court held that proof of deposit of the costs should accompany the compliance report of its order dated 12 June 2020 which shall be filed by October 15.
The direction came after the Court observed that in its order on June 12 this year it had noted that it was inclined of initiating the contempt of Court proceedings against the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) GDA if compliance was not filed in view of a newspaper report.
While AAG, MA Chashoo submitted before the Court that there was some communication gap on account of the COVID19 situation, the court said: “This in our view is no excuse whatsoever and it appears the respondents had no intention of complying with its orders and were simply biding time.”
Chashoo prayed for last opportunity to place the detailed explanation with regard to the solid and liquid waste management in Gulmarg and the matters raised in the newspaper report.