The Biz Reporter
Srinagar, September 16: The Environmental Policy Group (EPG) has approached the Division Bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, raising serious concerns over the proposed industrialisation of the flood-sensitive area at Nowgam and seeking protection of the flood-absorption basin.
The matter has been raised in the ongoing PIL No. 8/2017, along with connected matters concerning flood-related issues in Kashmir.
On September 15, 2026, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Dr. Pushpendra Singh Bhatti and Justice Rajnesh Oswal took note of an affidavit dated August 27, 2026, filed on behalf of EPG. The Court observed that the affidavit raises “certain critical issues, including industrialization in the flood zone area” and directed the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, to file a response within one week. The matter has been listed for further consideration on October 29, 2026.
EPG’s General Council member, Advocate Shafqat Nazir, presented the matter before the Division Bench. EPG said his submissions drew the Court’s attention to the history of the issue, the statutory planning provisions governing the area and the potential implications of permanent industrial construction in a flood-absorption zone.
EPG said the issue dates back to the preparation and approval of the Srinagar Master Plan–2035. During the final stages of consideration of the Master Plan, EPG had approached the then Governor, Satya Pal Malik, seeking protection of Srinagar’s flood-absorption areas from development.
The Srinagar Master Plan–2035 was subsequently approved by the State Administrative Council through Decision No. 40/5/2019 dated February 13, 2019.
While approving the Master Plan, the SAC made a specific modification concerning the Pantha Chowk–Nowgam NH Bypass corridor and directed: “No development/construction activity be permitted along the NH Bypass from Pantha Chowk to Nowgam which forms a part of flood absorption basin.”
EPG said this provision assumes particular significance in view of the proposed Industrial Park at Nowgam.
Following approval of the Master Plan, EPG continued to raise the issue through formal letters and representations to the Government and concerned authorities, drawing attention to the planning provisions and the importance of preserving the flood-absorption capacity of the area.
The proposed ₹104.02-crore Plug-and-Play Industrial Park, spread over approximately 50 acres, has brought the issue into renewed focus. EPG clarified that its concern is not against industrial development, investment or employment generation, but against locating a major permanent industrial estate in an area identified as part of a flood-absorption basin.
EPG cautioned that construction of an industrial estate in such an area could have serious consequences during extreme rainfall and flooding. It said permanent structures could reduce natural flood-storage capacity, interfere with drainage and expose industrial infrastructure, workers and surrounding communities to heightened risks, besides potentially aggravating flooding elsewhere.
EPG has urged that the exact location and footprint of the proposed Industrial Park be examined against the Srinagar Master Plan–2035, the SAC decision, historical inundation patterns, flood-storage requirements, natural drainage channels and the wider flood-management system.
The Group has advocated the principle of “No Net Loss of Flood Storage” and maintained that irreversible construction should not proceed until the statutory, planning and hydrological status of the site is clearly established.
EPG welcomed the Division Bench’s direction, saying it provides an opportunity for the Government to place the complete factual, planning, environmental and hydrological position before the Court.
The Group said it would place before the Court the history of its representations, relevant Master Plan provisions, the SAC decision and material concerning the proposed Industrial Park, and await the response of the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, before the next hearing on October 29, 2026.
