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Government has a JAMMU & KASHMIR
reason to be happy.
Grand Mosque is the
traditional turf of the
a political edge over every other political powerful Mirwaiz family have been under house arrest since Au-
party in the state. And this is why gov- gust 5.
ernment’s decision to bar Mirwaiz from where the successive It remains to be seen how congrega-
leading the Friday prayers is not only a Mirwaizs — the tions at the mosque will behave during
religious infringement for him but also upcoming Fridays. Government has so
an assault on his political constituency. current Mirwaiz is the far succeeded in maintaining a tight
Though primarily concerned with control over the prayers. It continues to
propagating and preaching the religion, fourteenth in the line disallow Mirwaiz to lead the prayers. But
the institution of Mirwaiz has trans- — have been delivering a potential large gathering is likely to
formed over the past century. Mirwaiz make things difficult. Situation has every
has now acquired a pronounced political Friday sermons and chance of flaring up into a protest.
role. It was Molvi Yusuf Shah, the grand leading the prayers In past, the post-prayer clashes at the
uncle of the present Mirwaiz, who in grand mosque have been a trigger for
early twentieth century was the first to on the day protests in Kashmir. During 2008 and
involve himself in the political struggle 2009 unrests, which between them led to
against the then autocratic Dogra rule. killing of more than hundred people, the
His successor Molvi Farooq, also the father of current Mir- protests first broke out in downtown areas surrounding Grand
waiz, was an influential political leader who floated a party Mosque and radiated outside. But in 2010 and 2016, the unrest
Awami Action Committee which fought elections and through spread in the Valley from rural areas. So, the government is ex-
eighties emerged as a vaunted opposition to the National Con- ercising extreme caution. Despite passage of five months, the
ference. After his assassination in 1990, Umar Farooq became internet gag remains in force. But permitting prayers at Grand
the new Mirwaiz of Kashmir and subsequently the first chair- Mosque is the first sign that the authorities are confident of
man of the separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference. He is their grip on the situation.
now the most influential separatist leader in Kashmir, together
with Syed Ali Shah Geelani, head of Tehreek-i-Hurriyat. Both LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

And all the sewage and drastic changes in the water quality over
the agricultural efflu- the years, reducing its transparency by a
ents from a predomi- dramatic 70 percent.
nant part of these set- But to its credit, Government has
tlements empty into been working to an elaborate conser-
the lake including hu- vation plan to rescue Dal. The LAWDA
man excreta, from the has already set up Sewage Treatment
houseboats. Plants to treat the 36.7 million litres per
Before the Govern- day of run-off into the lake. The Author-
ment installed Sew- ity has also installed mini Sewage Treat-
age Treatment Plants ment Plants to treat the sewage from the
around five years ago, houseboats. There is also a plan to build
the LAWDA figures es- around 28 kilometres long sewers along
timated that 5.5 tonnes periphery of the lake to intercept the in-
of phosphorous and flow. The government also proposes to
88.9 tonnes of nitrogen re-align the houseboats “to connect their
drained into the Dal outfalls with sewer system”. About 10,000
each year from human cubic meter of the solid waste is collected
the past several decades. The lake’s settlements and farms inside and on the annually by the NGOs and disposed off
once large green belt has suffered an banks of the lake. The consequent influx by the Srinagar Municipality.
inexorable encroachment in parts. New of the nutrients, mostly nitrogen and But as the lake’s existing condition
residential colonies have sprung on the phosphorus and their settling down at reveals, the conservation efforts are far
lake’s west and the existing colonies the lake bottom, acts as a super-fertilizer from making a redeeming difference.
have become more congested including which encourages an indiscriminate More so, when recurrent turmoil in the
the hamlets inside Dal, together with the growth of weeds. According to a study by UT puts an extended halt to it.
massive tourism related infrastructure environmental experts M R D Kundan-
along its 15.5 kilometre long Boulevard. gar and Adnan Abubakr, this has caused LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

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