Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 13: Disconcerted over the open defiance of laws and prescribed guidelines, by the rich and powerful, in running illegal brick kilns, stone crushers, hot mix plants, pesticide and chemical units in the state and Jammu in particular, scores of Panthers Party activists led by its chairman Harsh Dev Singh staged a protest demonstration outside the office of J&K State Pollution Control Board (JKSPCB) at Narwal here today.
The agitated protestors accused the Pollution Control Board for allowing hundreds of such units to operate in violation of the directives of Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT) which was squarely responsible for causing environmental pollution and bio-degradation posing grave threat to human lives.
Lambasting the Board for sheltering the Ministers, MLAs and MPs and rich people who owned such units, to run them in violation of the norms and prescribed procedures, Harsh Dev Singh appealed the Governor to personally intervene to bust the ‘pollution mafia’ operational in the State. He said that there were hundreds of brick-kilns, stone crushers, hot mix plants, pesticide and chemical industries operating in the state without fulfilling the pre-requisites laid down by the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Mines, GoI in pursuance of the Supreme Court directions. He said that several such units in Kathua, Samba, Jammu and Udhampur were owned and operated by politicians who abused their position and authority to run these illegal plants in circumvention of laws besides clear directives of National Green Tribunal, Supreme Court and High Court.
“Two illegal stone crushers adjacent to each other were installed by a Member Parliament in Krishanpur-Manwal without requisite NOCs and despite huge public outrage in this locality with authorities concerned shutting their eyes to the grave irregularity”, regretted Harsh Dev. He said that likewise one dismissed employee of J&K Govt was running several illegal stone crushers, hot mix plants besides illegal extraction of minerals with none to take cognizance.
Rebuking the SPCB for allowing such units to operate with impunity due to vested interests, Mr Singh said that several illegal stone crushers were being allowed to run in collusion with corrupt officers and Govt functionaries. He further regretted that apart from SPCB, the other concerned departments including Geology and Mining, Forests, I&FC and Districts administration concerned had failed to book the delinquents due to political patronage enjoyed by them.
Senior leaders Yash Pal Kundal, Rajesh Padgotra, Gagan Partap Singh, Sham Gorkha, KK Sharma and others also joined.
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