STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: A Jammu based environmentalist has expressed concern over the misuse of Disposal Permits by way of shoals in River Tawi and other allied areas apart from the Districts of Samba and Kathua. He has sought thorough investigations into the matter.
In a complaint to Chief Secretary, J&K, the environmentalist Sushil Kumar has stated that the issuance of Disposal Permits by Geology & Mining Department, after obtaining the guidelines from the Flood Control Department by showing some of the shoals in the River Bed Material, thereby misusing the position by way of issuance of Disposal Permits by Multiple Mega Projects companies engaged in infrastructure development in Jammu and Kathua District. This is leading to numerous environmental consequences, especially by several megha executive agencies.
“This issue has been adopted by the Department by way of insufficient compliance with the rules governing the issuance of Disposal Permits. This laxity has made it easier for those seeking to extract Minor Minerals thereby bypassing the stringent processes. The extraction of Minor Minerals is normally strictly in accordance with the environmental guidelines however, in practice, it has permitted a series of detrimental activities to the environment”, the complaint by Sushil Kumar, resident of Trikuta Nagar, Jammu adds.
The environmentalist Sushil Kumar has claimed that the environmental degradation from the unrestricted issuance and misuse of such permits is alarming. The unplanned extraction of Minor Mineral has devastated natural habitats and caused severe soil erosion, he said, adding that the Mega Project Organisations, in the garb of Disposal Permit, are using heavy excavators of River Bed Material without adhering to environmental loss.
“This has affected the financial health of Jammu and Kashmir, as merely by passing royalty component by extracting huge quantity beyond the permission allotted though the disposal permit is illegal”, the communication states, adding that there is no check on the quantity of minor mineral being consumed.
“The permission is always granted for already dumped material but heavy machinery is being deployed for excavation to avoid environmental clearance which is long process and with strict guidelines”, the environmentalist observed, quoting certain specific instances of misconduct by these Megha project companies.