The Diplomat Desk
Jammu:-TDD, Seeking immediate disbanding of the illegal stone crushers and Hot mix plants, Harsh Dev Singh Chairman JKNPP(India) and former Minister held a dharna inside civil secretariat in front of the office of the Dy Chief Minister alleging massive violations of norms and Environmental laws in granting permissions and repeated extensions to the said units during the BJP regime.
Submitting a memorandum to the Deputy Chief Minister after the protest dharna, Harsh Dev Singh said that several stone crushers and Hot mix plants especially in district Udhampur had been established by land mafia and other cartels in collusion with corrupt officers in blatant circumvention of laws, guidelines and requisite formalities thereby causing immense health hazards besides loot and plunder of natural resources by destroying the fauna and flora and pollution of water resources. In the mad race to make fast buck, the corrupt mafia had caused immense damage to environment, human lives with Air Quality Index having assumed alarming proportions.
Harsh Dev Singh pointed out that these illegal stone crushers operational in district Udhampur included illicit stone crushers built near Birwan Bridge, Udhampur which got washed away due to massive digging and excavation in brazen violation of norms laid down by NGT, Mining deptt and Pollution Control Board . The said stone crusher was disbanded for some time but again allowed to operate in view of the owner a dismissed employee of revenue deptt on charges of corruption being a filthily rich, affluent gentleman. Similarly, a stone crusher constructed at Bain Chenani on State land was earlier shut down for massive violations and illegal operation. But the ADC Udhampur had issued a fresh permission to the said defaulting operator without fulfilling the norms and obtaining the requisite NoCs for extraneous considerations in view of the delinquent being a filthily rich and affluent contractor capable of manoeuvring deals
In the same way, Singh pointed out that illegal stone crushers were installed in Sudh Mahadev , a holy place , in most populated area, courtesy the corruption plagued system during the erstwhile regime. Likewise, a stone crusher was allowed to operate in Chompal Nala adjacent to Patli Bridge and the nearby forests with none to take cognizance. A Hot mix plant was operationalized at Chulyar village of Chenani by a filthily rich ‘gentleman’ in the most populated basti in brazen circumvention of norms with none to question the illegal operators in view of a well knit mafia operational in the system. Reminding the Dy Chief Minister of an earlier meeting with him , Harsh Dev Singh recalled that several irregularities and frauds in grant of permissions to the illegal operators had been brought to his notice but the much needed action was still elusive.
Singh further pointed out towards the illegal construction of a “ Hotel-cum-Bar’ on Samroli- Chenani road by violating the norms and laws on the subject. He said that provision of Ribbon Development Act had been brazenly disregarded and thrown to winds while allowing the delinquents to encroach the PMGSY roads in Mada area of Chenani.TDD
