In a much publicized Public Interest Litigations filed by Advocate Dewakar Sharma highlighting various issues involving the conservation/preservation of river Tawi, a Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Mohd Akram Chowdhary directed Inspector General of Police Jammu and Deputy Commissioner Jammu to file status reports regarding extent of removal of encroachments and about the alleged illegal mining still being carried out from bed of River Tawi.
DB further directed Deputy Commissioner Jammu to inform the Court about the progress of work initiated for stopping flow of sewage water into river or regarding dumping of any waste material into river. This significant direction has been passed when PIL came-up for hearing it has been informed that in pursuance to the directions of the court, some encroachments have already been removed from the River bank/bed but as per the reports on record still a vast area of land remains to be illegally occupied and the encroachers have not been removed.
