Allow legal mining, save stakeholders: Rana

NC Provincial President Devender Singh Rana addressing mining trade workers in Nagrota on Monday. -Excelsior/Rakesh
NC Provincial President Devender Singh Rana addressing mining trade workers in Nagrota on Monday. -Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent
NAGROTA, Oct 19: National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana today urged the administration to allow legal, authorized mining in Jammu District as has been done in Samba, Kathua , Udhampur & Kashmir and save the stakeholders-tipper, truck and trolley operators, labourers and others, who are virtually at the brink of starvation due to joblessness.
Interacting with protesting people engaged as labour in the mining trade at Nagrota, on their march to Raj Bhavan, Rana expressed dismay over the muteness of the administration over the plight of stakeholders, forcing them to resort to agitational mode.
The Provincial President said that the hapless workers, who have already braved the brunt of joblessness for a pretty long time due to lockdown in the wake of coronavirus, can’t be abandoned by snatching from them the only source of sustenance. He hoped the government would appreciate the hardships of the workers and help them out of the precarious situation they are undergoing over the months. The sad part of their plight is that while most of them were suffering from joblessness, they are penalised by way of interest on EMIs on account of the purchase of vehicles.
The protesters were agitated over denial to peaceful march towards Jammu to apprise the Raj Bhavan about their sufferings. It is like throttling their voice, they rued.
He said there should be no problem in allowing legal mining, within parameters of the set norms, not in the interest of the stakeholders but also for smooth construction business. He said the blanket ban on extraction of material especially sand has hugely impacted on the construction sector that had shown signs of recovery after easing of Standard Operating Procedure. The mining sector holds the key to construction business which includes some key schemes and projects undertaken by the administration under various programmes for development in rural and urban areas. Once the important component of sand etc is scarcely available, the desired objectives of development would remain a far cry, he added.
While the Provincial President was interacting with the agitating people, the Additional District Development Commissioner reached the spot and tried to pacify the protesters. He assured them that their legitimate demands would be favourably considered by the administration.
Rana expressed solidarity with the protesters and assured that the National Conference will continue to support their legitimate cause, which remains in the legal parameters and observance of the set norms. He also urged them to be united and protest in a peaceful manner.