news details |
|
|
| No compromise on pollution in Highway project: JK panel | | | early times report
Jammu, Jan 5: Voicing concern over ecological impact of 4-lane Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, an assembly panel has stressed on ensuring zero tolerance for pollution and adoption of eco-friendly practises in the construction.
Headed by CPI(M) MLA from Kulgam M Y Tarigami, the committee on environment also pressed upon central and state construction agencies to ensure strict implementation of various labour welfare laws in the project.
Tarigami also asked the state's Pollution Control Board to submit the internal management assessment report on the project before the committee within a fortnight.
He urged for strict implementation of Workmen's Compensation Act, Payment of Wages Act and Employees Provident Fund, which, he said, are bound to generate interest among the labourers engaged in the project. The meeting took a detailed view of the impact of various construction activities, including the highway connecting Pathankote, Jammu, Srinagar and Baramulla, on the fragile environment of the state and the remedial measures taken by the concerned construction agencies in this regard.
Tarigami said that there should be an effort, cutting across political ideologies, to ensure that all viable development initiatives in the state go ahead in full vigour, but with zero compromise on pollution.
Tarigami reminded that development can take place at any time, but environment once polluted is very difficult to recover.
"Environmental pollution is detrimental for living beings and there should not be any compromise on it," Tarigami asserted.
He called upon the central as well as state agencies to increase their efforts to ensure a strong monitoring mechanism for conservation of environment. He asked the central agencies to ensure close collaboration with the State Environment Impact Assessment Committee in this regard.
Tarigami said that the main concern of the panel was the environmental impact of the highway widening process and the various protection measures initiated in this regard.
He said that ground water distribution of the area should be take into consideration while undertaking road and power projects and expressed his dismay over reports that land was excavated in various construction projects and the mud had gone directly into the rivers without any scientific disposal mechanism.
Tarigami while urging for eco-friendly engineering practises, stressed for conservation of natural flora and fauna, with focus on protecting wild life sanctuaries, monitoring of air, noise and water quality to ensure the effectiveness of the environmental management measures. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
