Despite ban by the High Court on the construction in Sonmarg health resort, on 29th November 2022 Chairman of BOCA, Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal held a meeting and took some decisions regarding the construction and repairs of many buildings.
On 30 November 2022 (copy attached with the story) Regional Director of Environment & Remote Sensing wrote a letter to CEO Sonmarg Development Authority who is the member secretary of BOCA raising his concerns. He had dispatched a junior officer in the meeting earlier.
After only one day Chief Town Planner of Kashmir wrote a letter to CEO Sonmarg Development Authority who is the member secretary of BOCA to put on hold all the decisions taken on 29 November 2022, similarly after the objection CEO Sonmarg Development Authority has written a letter to Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal asking for the decisions to be kept on hold taken only day earlier.
In his letter, he has said that it will not be advisable for him to take any further action in this matter unless the objections raised were not addressed.
Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal as the Chairman of BOCA on 29 November 2022 held a meeting while objections have been raised by the Chief Town Planner of Kashmir and by the Department of Ecology and Environment.
Both Directors of Ecology and Environment along with Chief Town Planner of Kashmir were not present in the same meeting.
J&K High Court has already put a ban on all the constructions in the Sonmarg health resort and the meeting held on 29 Nov has raised lot of questions and there has been lot of controversy as the CEO Sonmarg Development Authority has also raised objections to the decisions taken in the BOCA meeting.
This is pertinent to mention that department of ecology and environment while giving the reference of status report on dynamics of build up area land in Sonamarg Development area,that since the Sonamarg master plan envisages a total development area of 433.11ha and the build up la d of 47.89 ha andmire than 50 ha developmental area and 15 ha build up land threshhold limit envisaged in the EIA nitification of GOI, as prior EIA is mandatory. As per the study the existing build up land is above the threshhold limit.
So till the Recommendations of environmental impact assessment report are accepted and implemented on ground, no fresh permission should be given for any type of building permission.
