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Where the green cover is a casualty

By Luv Puri

Jammu May 17. Environmentalists are concerned over the indiscriminate exploitation of the forest range through which the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway runs. The highway is the only link between the remote regions of Jammu and the Kashmir valley. The forest cover has come down with a spate of illegal constructions coming up along the route.

A number of hotels have sprung up in violation of the instructions of the Border Road Organization, which is responsible for the upkeep of the Highway.

The indiscriminate construction has made the fragile Shivalik range vulnerable to landslides.

A recent landslide at Ramban, reportedly due to construction of a hotel, blocked traffic for almost a day.

Responding to several public interest litigations filed before it, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court formed a four-member committee to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of environmental damage caused between Jammu and Srinagar along the highway on the Shivalik range.

The committee's findings detailed the irreversible damage caused to the geological environment and ecology in the sector. The adverse effect of construction and allied activity had led to contamination of soil and erosion, besides pollution of water sources and groundwater.

The National Highway up to Jawahar Tunnel accounts for 273 rock-wall paintings. Besides, 363 large-size hoardings, erected on the mountain slopes, have destabilised the already vulnerable geo-environment.

This apart, about 400 billboards have been nailed on to trees. This, the committee said affected the mortality of environment-friendly organisms and would modify the porosity and permeability of the rock surface and initiate desertification of the region.

The committee has suggested certain measures for the protection of the rocks to preserve the eco-balance and environment of the mountain range.

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