Srinagar, Feb 25: The installation of five clusters of programmable aerators in Dal Lake along the North Foreshore Road (NFR) has remained stalled for nearly three years due to the contractor’s failure to meet departmental specifications, and what sources describe as administrative inertia within the concerned department.
Rising Kashmir has learnt that the project, conceived as part of efforts to revive the deteriorating water quality of Dal Lake, was expected to improve dissolved oxygen levels, support aquatic life and add to the lake’s aesthetic appeal – particularly along the high-visibility boulevard frequented by tourists and morning walkers.
An official of Jammu & Kashmir Lake Conservation and Management Authority (J&K LCMA), wishing anonymity, said the department had planned to install five clusters of aerators along the NFR stretch of the lake and initiated the process in October 2023.
“The department floated a tender, and the work was allotted to a Gujarat-based firm, Classic Fountain, which had quoted the lowest bid. The contract was subsequently finalised,” the official said.
He added that, as per norms, the department conducted an in-house verification after finalising the contract. “The contractor failed to meet the required specifications. Later, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar, acting as a third-party evaluator through experts from its Mechanical Engineering Department, carried out assessment and reported that the supplied material did not conform to the prescribed specifications,” he said.
Elaborating further, the LCMA official said the materials that failed to meet the specifications included stainless steel pipes, float pipes and submersible cables.
The department, he said, had specified stainless steel pipes with a thickness of 6 millimetres, but the firm supplied pipes measuring only 2 millimetres. “How could the department accept that? It could have posed a safety hazard later and also reduced durability in a water body like Dal, where corrosion is high,” he said.
Officials said the material supplied by the contractor is currently lying unused at various locations along the banks of Dal Lake on the NFR stretch, exposed to weather and deterioration.
“We have issued around 20 notices to the firm, asking it to resume the work within seven days in accordance with the terms and conditions of the allotment order and complete the same within one month strictly as per the specifications laid down in the NIT and allotment order. Failing this, J&K LCMA will invoke the penalty clause and proceed to foreclose the project. However, there has been no response to any of the notices,” the official said.
He added that a final notice was issued to the firm on October 22, 2025. The project was allotted in July 2024 to the Gujarat-based firm at a cost of Rs 7.71 crore.
A source in LCMA said the firm’s owners have reportedly later approached the Commissioner Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD), Mandeep Kaur (IAS), who reportedly directed the Vice Chairman of LCMA not to close the project and to keep it on hold for the time being, a move that effectively froze both execution and closure.
Recently, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, during a meeting at the Sher-I-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), directed the LCMA to proceed in accordance with the NIT reports, the official added.
The prolonged delay has raised serious questions over accountability within the authorities, as the project remains neither operational nor formally closed, sparking concerns over possible wastage and blockage of public funds.
The aerators were intended to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the lake, increase dissolved oxygen levels for aquatic species and improve overall water quality – a critical intervention as the lake continues to face eutrophication, weed growth and declining circulation in several pockets.
Vice Chairman of LCMA, Manzoor Ahmad Qadri acknowledged the issue while speaking to Rising Kashmir.
“Multiple notices have been sent to the firm, but we have not received any response. We are in the process of closing the project, but due to certain factors, we are unable to do so at present,” he said, adding, “Once the project is foreclosed, we can go for fresh tendering.”
Officials of Classic Fountain did not respond to calls from Rising Kashmir seeking their comment.
However, as per a letter dated June 4, 2025, addressed to the Vice Chairman of LCMA, a copy of which is available with Rising Kashmir, Classic Fountain stated: “We request the release of payment for the first commissioned fountain and the remaining balance for the supply of material for the other four fountain aerators, as per the tender terms.”
“We assure you that upon receipt of the payment, we will promptly complete the remaining work, including all necessary software settings,” the letter reads.
For now, the project remains caught between notices, files and approvals while the lake it was meant to revive continues to deteriorate.
