J&K govt denies plan to construct road to Amarnath

In the backdrop of severe criticism and opposition from separatists over the construction of permanent road to the south Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday reiterated that it has no such intentions or plans.

“The rumours of the government preparing to construct a permanent road in the cave area are baseless, and do not carry any weight,” Jammu and Kashmir  Chief Secretary Madav Lal said. The top bureaucrat said that the case was coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court and the state government would keenly observe the outcome of the hearing.

“The Supreme Court had directed to constitute a special high power committee (SHPC) for devising the plans for yatra and the state government acted accordingly,” Lal said.
Meanwhile, sources told Deccan Herald that the apex court would hear the case on September 17.

They said the SHPC has submitted its interim report to the Supreme Court and the final report is being prepared. “The report should be ready for submission in time before the next date of hearing,” they added.

Pertinently, the hearing in the apex court comes at a time when separatist leaders and some civil society groups have accused the state government of concealing the plans of constructing a permanent road leading to the hilly cave shrine.

However, the government had clarified that no directions of constructing a road in the cave area had come from any quarter.

“We haven’t received any such proposal or direction from any quarter,” state’s Minister for Forests and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad, said last week.