Police, I&FC Deptts too fail to curb illegal activities
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 26: Despite imposition of complete ban by the highest court of the State, extraction of minor minerals from River Tawi has largely remained unchecked because of lack of coordination between all the concerned authorities and acute shortage of manpower in the key department having primary role of checking illegal activities of the mining mafia.
The Division Bench of the State High Court, in the Public Interest Litigations (PILs) highlighting various issues involving conservation and preservation of River Tawi, had in the month of November 2016 imposed complete ban on extraction of minor minerals from River Tawi.
About extraction of minor minerals from rivers/nullahs other than River Tawi, the DB had directed that no mining shall be permitted between 6 pm to 6 am and Senior Superintendent of Police Jammu shall assist the Geology and Mining Department by deploying sufficient manpower around the sites where from extraction of minor minerals takes place to strictly enforce the ban.
On subsequent hearings in these PILs the DB directed Geology and Mining Department to establish sufficient number of check posts for prohibition of extraction and transportation of minor minerals from the River Tawi. Even the SSP Jammu was ordered to ensure installation of two check posts to foil the illegal activities of mining mafia during the night hours.
“Despite numerous directions from the Division Bench following imposition of complete ban in November 2016 the extraction of minor minerals from River Tawi is going on unabated during day as well as night hours”, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “similar is the situation in respect of nullahs in different parts of Jammu district”.
Though the Geology and Mining Department has established five check points at Bhagwati Nagar, Belicharana, Bhagatpur, Badyal Brahmna and Nagrota yet these have failed to yield the desired results mainly because the department doesn’t have sufficient manpower for deployment at these points to maintain hawk’s eye on the activities of the mafia, sources informed.
“Only one or two officials are manning each of these five check points that too during day timing thereby leaving enough chances for the mafia to carry out their illegal activities”, sources said and wondered how one or two officials can maintain hawk’s eye on vast area of responsibility even during the day timing. As far as nullahs in different parts of the district are concerned no check point has been established by the Geology and Mining Department for want of sufficient manpower.
They informed that in Jammu district the Geology and Mining Department has total 25 officers and officials including those working in the office as a result of which one guard has to keep watch on illegal mining prone water bodies in 10 kilometer radius. “In this way, whatever steps the Geology and Mining Department has taken on the directions of the High Court have failed to yield the desired results vis-à-vis prevention of extraction of minor minerals”, sources said.
The movement of large number of tractor trolleys loaded with minor minerals during night and wee hours every day clearly establishes that even police has failed to play its role in keeping check on the activities of mafia, they said. How the tractor trolleys loaded with minor minerals can ply in different parts of Jammu during night and wee hours when there is specific direction from the Division Bench that there should not be any mining activity from 6 pm to 6 am in respect of rivers and nullahs other than River Tawi?, sources asked.
Holding lack of coordination responsible for non-implementation of directions of the Division Bench of State High Court, sources said, “the Police and Geology and Mining Departments have not chalked out any joint strategy so far and both are working in different directions”, adding “Irrigation and Flood Control Department too have an important role to play on this serious issue but its authorities have maintained complete silence for obvious reasons”.
Had there been proper coordination between these three departments of the State the illegal extraction of minor minerals from River Tawi and other nullahs would have been checked up to large extent, sources remarked.
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