news details |
|
|
| Respiratory ailments on rise, Govt promises to check pollution | | Khrew loses sheen to cement factories | | Muhammad Mukaram
Early Times Report
Pulwama, Jan 2: As if jungle smugglers were not enough to vandalise the forests that the Kashmir's top notch businessmen are on a secret mission to plunder the natural resources to suit their personal interests. At Khrew town of South Kashmir's Pampore area, the top businessmen of Kashmir have ruined the natural beauty-blasting mountains and cutting down the pine trees-to expand their operations of producing more lime stones right under the nose of helpless authorities.
The gaint cement industries "TCI Max PVT Ltd ", "Arco Cements Pvt Ltd ", "Ittifaq Cements Pvt ltd", "Cemtec Cements Pvt Ltd" owned by influential persons are devastating Khrew town's fragile environment. The J&K Forest department has failed to check deforestation, "these top industralists are plundering the green wealth in our Khrew area and are converting the forest land into lime stone quarry where they extract the lime stones from the mountains which was once dense with pine trees," villagers said. "The felling of pine trees is going unabated under the foot hills of high mountain range of Khrew forest belt where just some miles behind is Dachigam National Park," the villagers added.
They said a major portion of the forest compartments in the Bathen Khrew had virtually vanished and subsequently were being encroached upon and converted for their business purposes by these influential people.
"The encroachers and the forest officials in order to render the pine trees dead peel off the bark, spray some chemical and then dig it around. As the time passes, the tree slowly and gradually dries up thus providing the justification to forest officials that the fall was a natural one," said a youth of the Khrew.
"This forest which primarily included fencing, but as you can clearly see that a major portion has been left open to pave way for Mine Blasting in these mountanins," the local villager said. He said with the passage of the time, these encroachers claim this forest land as to be their proprietary one. "All this is happening under the noose of the forest department. Even some foresters and forest guards have also encroached upon the forest land and converted it into orchards," the youth added.
"Whatever is happening is wrong. We can't see vandalization of our forests but we are helpless. Initially we used to inform the higher authorities, but more often than not they would turn out to be their facilitators, leaving us with no option, but to keep mum," a youth wishing anonymity said. Not only these Cement industry owners have looted the green gold of Khrew but also over 15000 local residents including children, senior citizens are directly affected with huge chunk of pollution by these giant cement factories and stone crushers, as the State Pollution Control Board are in deep slumber. The Khrew area is completely enveloped by smoke and dust, "Once you enter into this town, hardly you will find a thing that is not enveloped by dust. There is pollution everywhere, and within a flash of time from a gentle look you will automatically turn into a ragged man," said a Local resident. Medical experts told Early Times that there has been an alarming rise in the number of respiratory tract infections and asthama cases in Khrew. The rise in health problems for people here has directly been associated with the factories. The area where the past and future await to be submerged," said the local Doctor. However, Commisioner Secretary, Forest, Environment and Ecology, Mohammad Afzal said, "Human life means more to us than anything. We will not let anybody to compromise with the health and hygiene of the people, economy comes after this. We will seize all the cement factories and stone crushers if they are found as a cause of pollution in anyhow."
"We are not sacred of anybody who so ever he is and what so ever his influence is. We will soon install the pollution monitor device in the Khrew area and will take stern action accordingly," he added. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
