Manmohan Singh govt.’s plan to relocate Dal Lake dwellers shelved; families to stay on the lake

The Jammu and Kashmir government has abandoned its ₹416.72-crore resettlement plan for Dal Lake dwellers, citing poor implementation and lack of infrastructure at the proposed relocation sites. The government will instead develop 58 existing hamlets within the lake as "eco-hamlets," with work already underway on six locations. The shift in policy comes after a high-level committee recommended an in-situ conservation model for the lake, allowing residents to stay in these eco-hamlets. A new project, named 'Integrated Management Programme for conservation of Dal-Nigeen Lake ecosystem', awaits final approval from the Finance Department and aims to address sewerage issues within the lake's internal hamlets.