HC asks for validity of Gulmarg master plan

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov 29: The High Court today directed the government to inform the court about the validity of the master plan of the Gulmarg tourist spot and the rules and regulations relating to the resort before the next date of hearing.

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In this regard, the division bench of Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Puneet Gupta granted two weeks’ time to the lawyer representing the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) and asked him to submit a brief summary of the issues involved in the PIL concerning the station. which has been pending for over 12 years to pass a detailed ordinance for the protection and preservation of the tourist resort of Gulmarg against encroachments, pollution, land demarcation, expiry of lease etc.
The court also asked the parties for a brief summary and summary reflecting all the rules and regulations relating to the Gulmarg tourist resort by the next date of hearing. The court further ordered that while submitting the synopsis, the parties shall also disclose the validity of the station master plan on or before the next date of hearing.
It may be noted here that the court has earlier warned of strict action in case hoteliers take undue advantage of the court orders in the guise of allowing minor repairs of hotels and accommodation facilities in the tourist resort of Gulmarg.
The Court has already made it clear that if any authority had deliberately prevented the execution of the Court’s order, necessary consequences would be imposed on the officials concerned. It appears that the court may close the PIL with detailed orders as it has sought a brief summary of the regulations and master plan of the hot resort.
The court also clarified that the renovation or repair order made by this court will not be used when considering the application for continuation or extension of the lease. “…any deviation shall be brought to the notice of this Court, if the Gulmarg Development Authority is able to substantiate its claim in this case, this Court will take serious notice against the deviations made from the orders of the Court and pass an appropriate order for demolition of such structures.”
It is worth mentioning here that the court had directed the government to formulate a policy to address and resolve the numerous problems of the famous tourist resort of Gulmarg and inform the court of a comprehensive report on all the issues.
The policy was to be formulated with respect to hotels, shelters and other structures existing in and around Gulmarg Bowl, having been established with or without permission from the authorities and requiring repairs and maintenance due to the harsh weather conditions during winter of these structures. .
Regarding cases where the lease has expired and hotels, cabins and other structures exist, the court had the authorities to inform it if the government proposes to extend the lease in such cases.
A comprehensive report has been requested as to whether any area is clearly reserved and demarcated for the construction of hotels, cabins and structures and how and how these unbuilt areas should be dealt with.
Formulation of a vision document based on considerations such as environment, forest land, average number of tourists visiting Gulmarg, existing hotels with bed capacities, sanitation, installation of biodigesters, etc. . was supposed to be prepared by the GDA.