Scenic Srinagar-Bandipora Road Turns into Dumping Site, Officials Remain Silent

Muqeet Mubashir.

Srinagar, Feb 20: The scenic Srinagar-Bandipora Road along the lush green hills and Wullar Lake, is fast turning into a dumping site, with heaps of garbage mar its beauty.

Despite daily commutes by district officers, the blatant neglect of the environment continues unchecked, raising serious concerns over the authorities’ commitment to preserving the fragile ecosystem of Bandipora.

“Srinagar-Bandipora Road especially from Garoora Saderkoot Bala is the most beautiful patch and picnic spot but the officers of the district administration have converted it into a dumping yard,” said Shabir Ahmad, a local activist.

The 10-km stretch from Wullar Vintage Park to Saderkoot Bala has become an open-air landfill, with plastic waste, food wrappers, and overflowing garbage lining the roadside.

The situation is particularly alarming as it contradicts the recent District Development Commissioner (DDC) meeting on waste management around Wullar Lake, attended by WUCMA, ACD Bandipora, CPO Bandipora, PCB officials, and other stakeholders.

“District Administration Bandipore and WUCMA need to look into the matter and resolve the concern on priority and to prove their commitment to the implementation of Wullar Conservation Project and ascertain the successful implementation of Wullar Conservation Project instead of failing to protect the very resource they claim to be investing in,” said a Nature Conservation Activist, T M Hussain.

“Roadsides are meant to be beautiful, offering a glimpse of nature or a sense of order. Unfortunately, many places have become dumping grounds, overflowing with trash. This negligence is not only a discomfort to Visitors but also a serious threat to the biodiversity and Wullar Lake Ecology. The unchecked dumping of solid waste is contaminating the Lake water also, posing a threat to lake resources, ultimately impacting the livelihood of the local communities depending on it”, Hussain added.

A former Aspirational District Fellow after visiting Bandipora last week said he was astonished to see the level of garbage dumped on the roadside amid the beautiful landscape turning it ugly. “For few lakhs, the district administration could have converted these patches into picnic spots for travelers,” he said. “Like the sunset point near Saderkoot, the District administration could have planted some benches around these green patches to attract people”.

The stretch of road from the Wullar Vintage Park, a popular tourist destination, to Saderkoot Bala, spanning about distressing 10 kilometers, is transformed into a sprawling, open-air dumping ground. This blatant disregard for the environment raises serious questions. Where are the authorities, especially WUCMA?

Are they truly oblivious to the environmental crisis unfolding before their eyes, despite a meeting held by District Development Commissioner Bandipore few days back to refrain the solid waste and garbage dumping in open and to prepare waste management action plan in and around Wullar Lake.

“The sight of overflowing garbage and plastic bags strewn across the roadside is a mark of the District Administration’s apathy towards the environment. It’s hard to believe that those responsible for overseeing the Rs. 350 crore Wullar Project are blind to this ecological disaster unfolding right under their nose,” said another concerned citizen Mohammad Umar.

The local populace appealed to the Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister and MLA Bandipora to look into the matter and demanded a clean and sustainable future for Bandipora and hold the concerned departments especially RDD and ULB accountable for their inaction, as the RDD vehicles are always observed dumping the garbage around the periphery of the lake in Rural areas and ULB Vehicles in Urban areas.