The Jammu and Kashmir government has abandoned the ₹416.72 crore resettlement plan for Dal Lake dwellers. The plan saw only "27% progress" over 17 years, the government told the J&K Assembly, responding to NC legislator Tanvir Sadiq. The project was first approved in 2009 during the Manmohan Singh government, aiming to relocate about 9,000 families to protect the lake from pollution and environmental harm. However, poor implementation and lack of basic infrastructure at the resettlement site stalled progress. Now, the government will develop 58 existing hamlets within Dal Lake as "eco-hamlets." The assembly was informed that work on six hamlets has started under the UT Capex budget. One hamlet, Kachri Mohalla, is already rebuilt as a modern village. The new conservation model means residents can stay in these improved eco-hamlets within the lake. This shift follows a report by a high-level committee led by the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir. The report called the dwellers an "integral part of the lake ecosystem" and stressed the lake must stay "vibrant, dynamic and lively." The government said a sewerage network covering six hamlets is in place, and detailed plans for sewage treatment plants are in progress. A new ₹212.38 crore project named 'Integrated Management Programme for conservation of Dal-Nigeen Lake ecosystem' was accepted in principle by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. This five-year project will handle sewerage in 28 hamlets, treat catchment inflow, and dredge channels. It is awaiting final approval from the Finance Department. Under the Manmohan Singh plan, 7,526 kanals of land were acquired at Bemina near Srinagar. This area, called Rakh-e-Arth Resettlement Colony, granted land plots and compensation to dwellers. But only 1,808 families were resettled out of about 9,000. Published - February 07, 2026 08:51 pm IST