170 illegal structures demolished around Srinagar’s Dal Lake, CCTV cameras installed to prevent encroachment

The Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) has been trying its best to save the lake.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir is known as the crown of India and Dal Lake is said to be its jewel. But in the past few years, the lake has been shrinking because of encroachments. The Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) has been trying its best to save the lake. In the last 3 months, LAWDA has demolished 170 illegal structures around the lake. People have been taking advantage of the lockdown and many such encroachments are being reported. To stop these illegal encroachments, LAWDA has started installing CCTV cameras all around the Lake. ''We have started the process of placing CCTV cameras around Dal Lake. Five cameras have been placed while 15 more are being placed at different locations. We will try to cover the whole lake in a phased manner. The cameras will be of high quality so that number plate recognition is there too. And if people are seen carrying the construction material, we would get to know through the footage,” said Dr Bashir Ahmad Bhat, VC, LAWDA.