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Hold CBI probe into illegal stone crushers, bricks kilns, hot mix plants: Harsh Dev

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 5/10/2021 1:18:48 PM

Jammu, May 9 Alleging open defiance of laws and prescribed guidelines by several top politicians in running illegal stone crushers, Brick kilns and Hot mix plants in the UT and Jammu in particular, Harsh Dev Singh Chairman- JKNPP called for personal intervention of LG to stem the rot. He accused the state govt for shielding the delinquent Ex- Ministers/MLAs/MLCs and MPs who were squarely responsible for environmental pollution besides bio-degradation causing serious health hazards to the public at large. He was addressing a press conference in Jammu today. Addressing the media, Harsh Dev Singh cautioned the govt to initiate action and remove the same or be prepared to face public wrath including gherao of concerned authorities facilitating smooth functioning of such illegal units. He regretted that consecutive media reports on the subject besides public protests had failed to awaken the concerned authorities who were wilfully supporting these illegal units in view of their political influence. He said that several Brick kilns, stone crushers and Hot mix plants, pesticide units in District Jammu, District Samba and District Kathua were owned and operated by politicians of various hues and shades and particularly those of BJP who abused their position and authority to run these illegal units in circumvention of laws as also the categoric directives of National Green Tribunal, Supreme Court and High Court. He said that while these powerful politicians were being allowed to operate such illegal units in prohibited and non specified locations with impunity, the poor tractor and trolley operators were being harassed by imposing unwarranted restrictions even on manual lifting of sand and gravel thus adversely impacting upon their very livelihood. While a policy for regulated mining and disposal of river bed material needed to be formulated in the larger interests of these poor operators as well as the community at large, the illegal stone crushers, Brick kilns needed to be dismantled without any further delay. Describing the four member committee constituted by the Mining Deptt as an eyewash, Singh said that nothing short of CBI or Judicial probe could unearth the scam of such huge magnitude involving top political leadership of the UT. He said that there were hundreds of such stone crushes operating in the erstwhile state without fulfilling the pre-requisites laid down by the GOI, Ministry of environment and Ministry of Mines in pursuance of the Supreme Court directions. He said that even the J&K High Court in its order in July 2015 in writ petition titled Mohd Maqbool lone vs state of J&K had called upon the state govt to ensure strict monitoring of the stone crushers and Hot mix plants. He regretted that Deputy Commissioners, Geology and Mining Deptt and State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) which were the nodal agency for regulation of stone crushers, Brick kilns etc had abdicated their responsibility due to vested interests thus allowing hundreds of such units to operate with impunity.