Mamal’s old construction battle resurfaces as Forest Department halts fresh work
Pahalgam, Sep 6, KNT: Construction activity at Mamal in Pahalgam has come under fresh scrutiny after the Forest Department directed that work be stopped and sought a detailed report on how construction was allowed to begin in the environmentally fragile area.
Divisional Forest Officer Sajad Ahmad said the department has sought details regarding the construction and directed that the work be stopped pending examination of the matter.
“We have directed to stop the work and I have sought details how come this construction in the fragile zone started,” Ahmad said.
The latest intervention has brought renewed attention to Mamal, where construction and encroachment have been the subject of official action and judicial scrutiny for years.
In November 2020, a joint operation involving the Pahalgam Development Authority, Forest, Wildlife, Revenue and other departments reportedly retrieved around 110 kanals of forest land at Mamal and demolished illegal huts, dokas and fencing.
Earlier, in 2015, the PDA had demolished four structures, two plinths and two sheds at Mamal in the Wildlife Protection area. Authorities had said the structures constituted additions or extensions to existing structures and were in violation of court directions.
The issue has also figured in proceedings before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, where construction and alleged encroachment in the Mamal forest area were examined in the context of restrictions governing protected and environmentally sensitive areas.
Court records have referred to disputed claims over so-called “exchange plots” in Mamal Forest and construction of hotels, restaurants and huts in the area. The proceedings also dealt with the identification and documentation of structures in prohibited zones and restrictions on fresh construction.
Against that backdrop, the emergence of fresh construction has raised questions over whether the work represents permissible renovation of existing structures or amounts to new construction or expansion.
The distinction is significant in an area where construction activity has previously attracted enforcement action and where authorities have repeatedly maintained that development in protected and fragile zones must comply with applicable regulations and permissions.
The Forest Department’s decision to stop the work and seek details is expected to establish the nature of the structures, the status of the land involved and whether the requisite permissions were obtained.
The immediate question, however, remains how the construction was able to commence in a zone that has remained under official and judicial scrutiny for years.
The department’s inquiry could also determine whether the present case represents an isolated violation or points to a wider failure of enforcement in one of Pahalgam’s environmentally sensitive areas. [KNT]
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