Jammu, February 11 (KNS): The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday informed the Legislative Assembly that the road dividers installed in Sopore town were put in place without obtaining a No-Objection Certificate from any department – an admission that prompted legislator Irshad Rasool Kar to demand legal action against those involved.
The written reply, tabled during Question Hour, revealed that the Municipal Council Sopore had itself passed a resolution seeking the removal of these dividers. Despite this, and even after two committees were formed to examine the matter, no follow-up action was taken.
Citing the official response, Kar said the installation was carried out without any statutory sanction, in what he termed a “clear violation” of government acts.
“No NOC was taken from any department. The municipal body passed a resolution seeking removal. Yet the dividers continue to remain,” Kar told news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) outside the Assembly.
The MLA from Sopore pointed out that as per the Municipal Act, any opening or closing of a road within municipal limits requires the sanction of the local municipal council.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel“In this case, no such permission was obtained,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the government’s claims of empowering urban local bodies under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, Kar said the Act was being violated with impunity.
The legislator expressed dismay over the fact that two separate committees were constituted but neither resulted in any resolution. “Two committees were formed. Two. Still no solution. This shows the seriousness of the administration,” he said.
Kar said that those involved must be held responsible for “choking Sopore’s economy” and causing “untold hardship” to citizens.
“I will demand legal action against those who installed them. Accountability must be fixed,” he added. (KNS)