Kargil-Ganderbal Boundary Dispute: HC Grants 4-Week Extension to Govt For Response
A division bench led by Justices Tashi Rabstan and Rajesh Sekhri allowed the extension following a request from the government's counsel Faheem Nissar Shah.
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Published : Dec 13, 2024, 10:17 AM IST
|Updated : Dec 13, 2024, 11:13 AM IST
Srinagar: The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh granted the government an additional four weeks to file its response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking protection of Ladakh’s environment, ecology, and land from encroachments, while also addressing a boundary dispute between Kargil district in Ladakh and Ganderbal district in Jammu and Kashmir.
A division bench led by Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Rajesh Sekhri, on Thursday, allowed the extension following a request from the government's counsel Faheem Nissar Shah. The court also appointed senior advocate MI Qadri as amicus curiae to assist in the case.
The PIL stems from a letter dated July 1, 2024, written by Abdul Wahid, a councillor from the 2-Bhimbet constituency of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) in Kargil.
The letter, titled “Save Ladakh’s environment, ecology, and land from encroachers and resolve the boundary dispute between district Kargil of Ladakh and district Ganderbal of J&K,” was addressed to Chief Justice Rabstan. It expressed grave concerns over the environmental degradation and encroachments in Ladakh. The Court directed that the letter be treated as a PIL.
In July, the court issued notices to several officials, including Ladakh’s Chief Secretary, the Principal Secretary of the Forest Department, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), the Deputy Commissioner of Kargil, the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, and the Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal. Regarding allegations of environmental risk and land encroachment in the area, these notices were issued.
The letter claimed that under the pretence of a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) agreement that distributed snow-covered lands evenly, people of the Ganderbal district had encroached upon land in Ladakh. It contended that this invasion endangered the area's delicate environment by endangering its flora and fauna.
The letter also emphasised complaints about the stringent traffic laws that only applied to Ladakh locals, while big trucks and tourists were able to travel freely throughout the year.
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