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| Mitti mafia takes advantage of Kashmir situation, comes back in business | | |  Early Times Report
BUDGAM, July 22: Sand and clay excavation Mafia which had gone underground is using Kashmir situation to its advantage and has become highly active in Dardpora, Choon and adjoining localities of Budgam.
Early Times had filed several reports on this issue in May and June and finally the District Administration Budgam with active support of Police had launched a crackdown on this mafia. This activity had come to a halt and Early Times had filed an impact story also in this regard.
The Karewas (wodder) of central Kashmir's Budgam district are under continuous threat of extinction as the soil excavation work on these is not at all coming to halt since last more than a decade now. An estimated 30 to 40 percent of the Karewas in Budgam , Khansahib and Chadoora tehsils alone have been raised to ground after continuous plunder by huge bull dozers , JCB's and other heavy duty earth excavators.
As already reported soil excavation work on Budgam Karewa's began around 1995 after the work on Qazigund -Baramulla rail project began. Hundreds of trucks, tippers were pressed into work by the various construction firms who undertook various works for Railways which was executed by IRCON a mega construction firm. The soil was used for making elevated railway track and 90% of the soil which was used for such works was excavated from Karewas of Budgam, Pulwama and Baramulla districts
These Karewa's are famous for almond orchards. The saffron cultivation done on thousands of hectares of the Karewa land especially in Kaisermulla , Sarai Khampora , Kuzweira, Kultreh and a number of other villages. Due to soil excavation the almond and saffron cultivation has decreased a lot in these villages of Budgam. The cases of bronchial asthama and other respiratory tract diseases has increased to a great extent in the areas bordering Chadoora and Pulwama areas.
The crops, fruits orchards of the whole area has been degraded by the dust emanating from the site as well as of the soil dropped from the thousands of tippers plying in the area. The locals also allege that the High court had ordered for stopping the excavation work but the authorities have failed to implement the High Court orders. a writ directing the state to stop excavation but that too has been thrown to winds.
"The illegal practice had come to halt after Early Times filed several news reports , but after the unrest started in valley aftermath of killing of HM Militant Burhan Wani , the Mitti mafia again became active in several arreas of Budgam especially Dardpora area . They come with JCB's during night hours and extract huge amount of soil and then transport it to other places in trucks , tractor trolleys and tippers" said Fayaz Ahmad a local resident of Razwen village in Budgam |
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