Srinagar, Sep 16, KNT: The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has sought a response from the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, on concerns raised over the proposed industrialisation of the Nowgam area, with the Environmental Policy Group (EPG) drawing attention to the site’s reported status within a flood-absorption zone.

According to EPG, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhatti and Justice Rajnesh Oswal took note on September 15 of an affidavit filed by the group on August 27 in PIL No. 8/2017 and connected matters concerning flood-related issues in Kashmir. EPG said the Court observed that the affidavit raised critical issues, including industrialisation in a flood-zone area, and directed the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, to file a response within one week. The matter has been listed for October 29, 2026.

The development assumes significance because the approved Srinagar Master Plan–2035 contains a specific restriction concerning the Pantha Chowk–Nowgam NH Bypass corridor. The official Master Plan records that the State Administrative Council, while approving the plan in February 2019, modified the proposal to provide that “no development/construction activity” be permitted along the NH Bypass from Pantha Chowk to Nowgam, describing the corridor as forming part of a flood-absorption basin.

EPG has questioned whether the proposed industrial park falls within the area covered by this restriction and, if so, under what planning and legal framework construction can be undertaken.

The proposed Plug-and-Play Industrial Park at Nowgam covers around 50 acres and has an estimated project cost of ₹104.02 crore. Government records relating to the proposed BHAVYA industrial parks indicate that the Nowgam project is intended to cater to activities including horticulture-linked industries, food processing, light manufacturing, logistics, warehousing and digital services, with infrastructure such as industrial plots, roads, utilities, effluent treatment facilities and other common amenities.

EPG has clarified that its objection is not against industrial development, investment or employment generation, but concerns the location of permanent industrial infrastructure in an area it says has a flood-storage and drainage function.

The group has urged examination of the exact project footprint, cadastral boundaries and geographical coordinates against the Srinagar Master Plan–2035 and the protected Pantha Chowk–Nowgam corridor. It has also sought consideration of historical inundation patterns, flood-storage requirements, natural drainage channels, Nowgam Jheel and the wider Jhelum floodplain.

The issue had been raised by EPG before the current court proceedings as well. In August, the group sought judicial and statutory scrutiny of the proposed project, specifically questioning whether the industrial park conforms to the Master Plan restriction.

The Court’s direction now places the planning status of the proposed industrial park before the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, whose response is expected to address the factual and statutory position.

EPG has advocated a “No Net Loss of Flood Storage” approach and said irreversible construction should not proceed until the site’s land-use status, flood-storage function and hydrological implications are clearly established.

The Government’s response to the issues raised before the Division Bench, including the precise location of the proposed industrial park in relation to the Master Plan restriction, will be significant for the next stage of the proceedings. [KNT]

© Kashmir News Trust (KNT). Unauthorized use without attribution is prohibited.