Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 2: In Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against illegal mining across the river Ravi and seeking closure of 13 illegal stone crushers operating from Lakhanpur in the downstream to Jarai as reported by the committee in its report submitted to the office of Deputy Commissioner Kathua, Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur today directed Additional Advocate General H S Siddiqui to file the latest status of the stone crushers.
After hearing Senior Advocate S S Lehar with Advocate Ch Anayat Ullah appearing for the PIL whereas Additional Advocate General H A Siddiqui with Deputy AG Deepkia Mahajan and Advocate D S Thakur appearing for the State, the DB observed, “in the order dated December 3, 2010, Deputy Commissioner Kathua issued directions for holding enquiry with regard to issuance of NOCs/permission by the office of Tehsildar Kathua for installation of stone crushers in tehsil & district Kathua but during the pendency of the enquiry, all the permissions issued by Tehsildar Kathua in the month of October and November, 2010 were to be kept in abeyance”.
“Despite service, no response has been filed by Deputy Commissioner Kathua with regard to the status of enquiry as well as the NOCs given by the Tehsildar. The allegations leveled by the petitioner are that the store crushers are still operating and if that be so then we failed to understand under what authority the stone crushers are operating”, the DB said.
AAG Siddiqui representing the Deputy Commissioner stated that objections disclosing the latest status of the store crushers will be filed. Accordingly, Division Bench also granted liberty to the owner of the stone-crushers to file their objections.
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