Srinagar, May, KNT: After more than a year of visible dormancy, Srinagar Deputy Mayor Parvez Qadri has finally taken up arms—figuratively—against the rampant encroachment choking the life out of Khushal Sar, one of Srinagar’s dying water bodies. In a rare public acknowledgment of official corruption, Qadri admitted that some employees of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) were accepting bribes to enable illegal constructions around the lake, accelerating its degradation.
The lake, which once spanned expansively from Zoonimar to Aali Masjid, is now a patchwork of illegal structures, landfills, and fences—a result of unchecked encroachment and administrative negligence. “Yes, there is no denying the fact that some employees in Srinagar Municipal Corporation grab money and facilitate illegal construction,” Qadri told reporters during a demolition drive at the site, startling many with his candour.
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Qadri, who has been notably inactive on the issue since taking charge in January 2020, has suddenly turned active this past week. Before descending upon Khushal Sar with a demolition squad, he led a similar drive in Shalteng, where illegal constructions were reportedly being carried out with the connivance of local SMC officials. In an unprecedented move, Qadri wrote to the SMC Commissioner demanding the suspension of the concerned Ward Officer and Building Inspector.
While insiders in the SMC find his recent activism curious—if not suspect—they welcome any attempt to revive the dying lake. “We don’t know why he has suddenly become interested after remaining dormant for over a year, but we do appreciate the honest officials who are committed to restoring Khushal Sar,” an official told Kashmir News Trust, requesting anonymity.
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Locals have not shied away from calling out the rot within the system. “I paid more than Rs 2 lakh in bribes to some SMC employees. There’s a whole mafia operating here—from the bottom to the top,” admitted a resident who was in the process of building a house on encroached land near the lake.
The issue has long drawn concern from environmentalists and political leaders. Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Prof. Saifuddin Soz recently issued a statement after visiting Khushal Sar, Gilsar, Anchar, and Brari Nambal, warning of the “irretrievable loss” of Kashmir’s aquatic heritage. “Land grabbers and encroachers, often under political protection, are beyond the law,” he cautioned.
Despite the inertia of past years, some efforts have recently been made by the administration. A senior official revealed that out of 300 identified encroachments, 25 have been demolished, and 3.75 acres of the lake area has been reclaimed. However, locals say this is only a fraction of what is needed.
Khushal Sar, once a source of livelihood and a pristine water body rich in biodiversity, has been reduced to a skeletal shadow of its past. Environmentalist voices that warned of this downfall through countless articles and appeals say their words were lost on a deaf administration.
“The destruction of Khushal Sar is the destruction of Kashmir’s cultural and ecological soul,” said one activist, calling for continuous and uncompromised action, not mere optics.
The Deputy Mayor’s sudden awakening may be welcomed, but for Khushal Sar, it is perhaps a case of too little, too late—unless the drive continues beyond headlines and holds every violator accountable. [KNT]
