Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Feb 29: Government’s indecisiveness over the rehabilitation of the quarry owners of Athwajan area in the outskirts of the Srinagar is taking a toll on the lives of several workers and quarry owners who have been left jobless following banning of mining activities in the area.
Four years after the ban the Government has failed to come up with a rehabilitation plan for the affected quarry owners who accused the Government of snatching their livelihood by delaying the rehabilitation.
The quarry owners alleged that the Government’s selective approach has pushed a huge chunk of the population towards penury while as the real environmental issues have been sidelined owing to the involvement of big industrialists. “On one side, the Government is citing environmental reasons for closing down of query units, while on the other side; they are inviting an environmental disaster by overlooking relentless quarrying by cement factories,” a local said.
The quarry holders and workers lamented that the ban has snatched livelihood of thousands of people. “There are nearly 80,000 workers associated with the business directly or indirectly and the ban has affected the equal number of families,” Farooq Ahmad, a quarry owner told Excelsior.
Nazir Ahmad, another query owner said that the delay in the implementation of rehabilitation policy has hit them psychologically. “We are unable to pay tuition fee of our kids and repay bank loans. This has dented our social image and lead to distress,” he said, adding if the government cannot rehabilitate us, why they cannot compensate us?
Following the ban, the Government identified Zewan area for mining purposes keeping in view the requirement of stones for construction purposes in Srinagar. However, the locals resented the move to shift quarrying work to Zewan.
“We are already suffering due to the existing query units and by diverting more stone miners here they are putting the lives of more than 10,000 people at risk. Heavy blasting has made our lives miserable. Our children and livestock are particularly in danger”, Riyaz Ahmad, a local from the area said, adding the move may have drastic effects on the forest cover and Dachigam National Park which houses several endangered species including indigenous stage, Hangul.
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