Srinagar- Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary who is also the Minister for Mining Department J&K Govt on Sunday directed the District Mineral Officer-DMO Pulwama to file a detailed report on illegal riverbed mining -RBM in taking place in Romshi nallah in Cheva Kalan , Cheva Khurd and its adjoining villages.
The Dy CM responded to noted social activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat on X as he had highlighted the illegal mining work being carried out in Romshi nallah inspite of NGTs direction to stop it. ” Noted Action will be taken” said Dy CM in his reply to Raja Muzaffar Bhat on X
Dr Raja Muzaffar who has filed over more than half dozen petitions in National Green Tribunal -NGT on illegal riverbed mining had posted GPS pics on x and tagged Dy CM , DC Pulwama and many other officers. Pertinently Raja Muzaffar Bhat has already filed a petition in this case in National Green Tribunal -NGT last year in November and a notice had already been issued to Deputy Commissioner Pulwama and JK State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority-SEIAA by NGT.
The NGT Principal bench presided over by Justice Prakash Srivastava (Chairperson) and Dr A Senthil Veil (Expert Member) had directed the District Magistrate Pulwama and SEIAA to submit detailed reports before the next hearing scheduled for February 5th, 2024. Following this the J&K Pollution Control Committee had imposed a ban on illegal mining and issued closure orders as well in February this year.
“ In Spite of the closure order issued by JKPCC , illegal mining has been going on in Romshi nallah in Pulwama and many other streams . The machines like JCBs L&T cranes are used which are otherwise banned under all relevant laws. The DMO Pulwama has failed to act and allows the illegal work. I am grateful to Dy CM Surinder Choudhary for taking cognizance of my post on X but what report will DMO Pulwama submit when he himself allows all this illegal work. I would suggest Deputy CM to handover this case to JK Anti Corruption Bureau -ACB for an in-depth probe” said Dr Raja Muzaffar
Pertinently illegal riverbed mining has been going on at large scale in Nallah Sukhnag beerwah Budgam , Vaishav in Kulgam , Rambiara in Shopian as well.
” Except DC Shopian, other DC’s in J&K are not proactive against the mining mafia. I would request CM Omar Abdullah, Dy CM Surinder Choudhary to take a notice of this” Dr Raja Muzaffar added.
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