River regulation zones
In order to bring the rivers, water courses and other such water resources into the focus of the government, the Chief Secretary reviewed maintenance or river regulation zones, khad.
He directed for the constitution of 3-tier inter-disciplinary committees for delineation of the boundaries of all the water bodies in Jammu and Kashmir so that there are no disputes in future about their volume and size.
Underscoring the necessity of having reliable data on areas surrounding various rivers and associated khad, he directed the constitution of 3-tier inter-disciplinary committees to undertake respective surveys and compile requisite data at the district, division, and UT levels. The committees will have domain experts from Revenue, Housing & Urban Development, Forest, Jal Shakti, and Law departments.
These committees will study the delineation of specified areas in a prioritized manner beginning with municipal areas in the first phase spanning over 3 months, flood-prone areas in the next 3 months under phase II, and the remaining parcels of land in the subsequent 6 months under phase III.
The committees are mandated with the formulation of jurisdiction-specific guidelines for demarcation and proper maintenance of flood plains and river regulations zones, besides devising a mechanism for identification and removal of illegal encroachments in the public interest.
Further, reviewing the ‘Apni Zameen, Apni Nigrani’ initiative of the Revenue Department, he directed initiation of exemplary disciplinary action against the delinquent employees in case the land record is found to be wrong or missing if reported so after public scrutiny.
