Srinagar, Sept. 1 -- The Environmental Policy Group (EPG) has sought Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's intervention over a video circulating on social media allegedly showing the filling of a portion of Dal Lake near the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) office at Miskeen Bagh. In a letter to the Chief Minister, EPG urged authorities to verify the video and establish the exact location and nature of the activity. EPG convenor Faiz Ahmad Bakshi said if the video shows filling, reclamation, dumping or encroachment, it raises serious environmental and regulatory concerns. The group demanded a joint spot inspection by LCMA and other departments and verification of ownership, land classification and permissible land use of the area shown. "The issue extends beyond Dal Lake to all water bodies in Jammu and Kashmir, including Wular, Anchar, Nigeen, Manasbal, Khushal Sar, Gilsar, Hokersar and River Jhelum and its tributaries. These water bodies are not vacant land available for gradual reclamation," the statement said, adding that their role in water storage, biodiversity, groundwater recharge and flood protection. It called for GIS and satellite-based mapping of major water bodies. htc...