Mushtaq Pahalgami

Mushtaq Ahmad Magrey, also known as Mushtaq Pahalgami[1] (born 1981), is a social activist, environmentalist and president of Himalayan Welfare Organization.[2][3] He hails from Pahalgam town of Anantnag of Jammu and Kashmir. He was honoured with an award from the Ministry of Tourism working for the cause of education, public health and environmental conservation in Pahalgam, Kashmir.[4] He is also one of the earliest promoters of 'green-trek' in the region with the purpose of inculcating environmental social responsibility & a sense of moral social duty among the youth,[5] and has been raising his voice against the encroachment of wildlife areas by influential people in Pahalgam.[6]

    Mushtaq Pahalgami
    Born (1981-03-01) 1 March 1981
    Pahalgam, J&K
    Known forJ&K, Right to Information, 2009 Right to Public Services legislation, J&K, PSGA, 2011 Environmentalism
    Parent(s)Taja Begum (mother)
    Mohammad Jabar Magrey (father)

    Career

    Mushtaq Pahalgami has worked closely with many other environmental and social activists in the region, including environment and human rights lawyer Parvez Imroz. Pahalgami is founder and president of the NGO Himalayan Welfare Organization, Pahalgam (HWO), committed to service in the areas of health care, environmental protection and conservation, tourism, education,[7] poverty reduction and alleviation[8] human rights, and preservation of the famous Kolahoi Glacier, Lidder and Sind Rivers.

    Pahalgami also works with trade unions and social organizations like the Pahalgam Collation of Unions, Pahalgam Hotel/Guest House Owners Union, Pahalgam Travel and Tour Operators Union, Pahalgam Tent Union, and Pahalgam Peoples Welfare Organization.[9] He and his team at HWO are known in the region for organizing free medical camps,[10] educational conferences, environment preservation and awareness programmes, seminars and symposiums about the right to Information[11][12] public education and health care,[13] drug deaddiction, animal rights, sanitation and hygiene apart from ongoing flood relief operations after the recent floods in the valley.[14]

    Pahalgami has campaigned for environmental conservation in the Himalayan region, particularly in and around Pahalgam, compelling exploitative forest, timber and land interests to retreat from most parts of the region through a long and sustained legal battle and RTI crusade against illegal occupation of forest land, hunting of wild animals, felling of trees and smuggling of timber.[15] HWO has also organised over 30 camps and information campaigns to promote and ensure conservation of the natural ecosystems of the Lidder and Sind rivers as well as the Kolhoi Glacier.

    Social Campaigns

    Pahalgami and his team at the HWO have filed hundreds of Right to Information Act RTI and Public Service Guarantee Act PSGA applications and cases, particularly concerning land grabbing, illegal construction and illegal land-use in and around Pahalgam; ensuring implementation of the 2008 J&K High-court order staying all construction and repair in the region. This has resulted in positive interventions and more than two hundred notices served in various cases, to the Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Tourism, Department of Education, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Public Distribution, rural Development, Ministry of Environment, Forest Department, Integrated Child development project; GOI, and State Assembly Secretariat, among others.[16][17]

    Mushtaq Pahalgami's sustained efforts at inculcating a culture of rational critique and inquiry among the youth, have also strengthened the citizens' movement in the region.[18] His persistent efforts in questioning the state-machinery's inefficacy has given much-needed impetus to the state's anti-corruption movement.[19][20]

    Pahalgami has been pursuing the welfare of his local environment in his capacities and has been vocal about the encroachment of forests by hotels & resorts and the rising pressure on wildlife, sometimes bearing physical assault for his intentions,[21][22] yet organising clean-up treks against the use of plastic in his village.[23] He has been pro-active in guiding the public attention towards a sustainable maintenance of the tourist spots in the area, and has raised the issues pertaining to the upkeep of tourists sites, like the inconvenience caused by the defunct street lights to tourists in night hours,[24] unsettling of debris caused by burning of 3 buildings since 7 years,[25] negligence towards significant water leakages in the area, etc.[26]

    See also

    References
    1. "Creating Awareness about Plastic Pollution: One Man's Crusade to Save the Environment". kashmirpatriot.com. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
    2. "Land Mafia (Mis)using 72-Yr-Old Order To Encroach Forest Land In Pahalgam". www.kashmirlife.net/. 9 October 2015. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
    3. "Sewage treatment plants in Pahalgam Lacking". www.knskashmir.com. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
    4. "Tourism Ministry Honours Mushtaq Pahalgami". Greater Kashmir. 14 March 2015. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
    5. "Mustaq Pahalgami flags off second batch of trekers". www.knskashmir.com. 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
    6. "Environmental activists demand action against all influential land grabbers". Kashmir Reader. 16 February 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    7. "Pahalgam students forced to travel 50 kms [sic] for college". www.kashmirtimes.com/. 30 October 2017. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
    8. "Tackling the many Challlanges of Poverty". 5 Dariya News. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
    9. "Paradise lost, and well regained!". Precious Kashmir. 12 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    10. "Full Story". 5 Dariya News. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    11. "RTI Happenings: J&K: KNS, HWO organizes seminar on RTI". Rtiindia.org. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    12. "Omar's free ration announcement irks homeless flood victims - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir". Earlytimes.in. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    13. "Swine Flu Epidemic:Government Evading Responsibility". Kashmir Excelsior. 27 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
    14. "Kashmir Floods: Are we Asking the Right Questions?". Kashmir Reader. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    15. Pehalgami, Mushtaq (29 January 2015). "Government needs to have a strong forest replenishment policy". Kashmir Excelsior. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    16. "Eight years on reconstruction of Pahalgam Club nowhere in sight Lastupdate:- Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:30:00 GMT". Greaterkashmir.com. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    17. "PDA demolition notices to Movera hotel owners raises brows - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir". Earlytimes.in. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    18. "Activist Allege Government Departments for not Obeying RTI Act". Kashmir Excelsior. 4 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
    19. "Municipal machinery in the state is in a state of Shambles". Kashmir Excelsior. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    20. "Of Incumbents and Incumbency". Precious Kashmir. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
    21. "Living Planet: Protecting forests in Kashmir". DW News. 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
    22. "Working in shadow of violence and climate change". NEWAGE. 23 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
    23. "Working in the shadow of violence and climate change". Qantara.de. 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
    24. "For over 2 years street lights in Pahalgam remain defunct, locals fume". The Kashmir Press. 29 July 2019. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
    25. "Burnt in 2014, the debris of buildings remains un-removed at the entry point Pahalgam". Current News Service. 11 June 2020. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
    26. Moen Magray (13 June 2020). "Attention Lidder Forest Division Bijbhera /Forest Range Pahalgam, and Public Health Engineering Department!". CNS Media Group. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
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