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| Precious gems worth hundred crores plundered | | 17 kgs of Paddar sapphire fetched Rs one crore, | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | Mar 14
News Analysis
In the wake of 17 kilograms of crude sapphire, extracted from Paddar mines in Kishtwar district of J&K, fetching Rs 1 crore, the open loot of the rare gem from the mines by the locals, with the connivance of the police and the officials in the forest department has come to sharp focus. While the sapphire extracted from the Paddar mines, during last three years has earned the state exchequer a paltry sum of Rs 1 crore, the crude sapphire worth several crores has been stolen from the mines, with some locals, forest officials and skeleton police force being hand in glove in the loot. Some politicians are also hand in glove in the loot, it is the blue (sapphire) mines of Paddar in Kishtwar district which are being plundered unabated by the unscrupulous elements. The plundering of the precious stone, sapphire from the mines in the Paddar in Kishtwar district has been resulting in huge loss to the state exchequer.
Ironically this treasurer trove in the form of precious sapphire deposits in the mines, which can earn good revenue to the state and if extracted and then marketed in the international market under a well controlled system, can revolutionize the state economy and bring it out of the morass of extreme poverty, has been left neglected and allowed to be plundered. Strangely no proper police force has been deployed at the mine sites to protect this precious wealth. Only a skeleton force of eight police cops, headed by a Head Constable are manning this valuable asset of the state. This skeleton force of six cops and a Head Constable too remain on guard duty only for six months of the summer near the mine site and return to Kishtwar for the remaining six winter months, due to severe cold in the Paddar area, thus leaving the mine completely unmanned.
Located at a distance of 115 kms from Kishtwar and at an altitude of over 13,000 feet, the blue sapphire mines were discovered in 1880s and have been worked only occasionally since then because of the difficult terrain and inhospitable climate in the area. Successive regimes have failed to exploit these blue sapphire mines, to cash on this huge wealth to bring prosperity to the state.
No doubt the approach to the mines is highly difficult since one has to travel about 40 kms on foot to reach Sunchan, where the mine is located, yet in view of huge wealth lying there no effort has been made to connect the place through road. In absence of any permanent structure for the police post and in view of severe cold-----20 feet snow accumulates every year in the area in winter---and no heating arrangements provided, the cops on duty are forced to return to Kishtwar during winter months, thus making the wealth unprotected for the greedy to plunder it unchecked.
The successive regimes in the state, since the discovery of sapphire in the mines in 1880s have failed to exploit these mines on scientific and economic lines, which can convert the state economy from extreme poverty to riches. Although on the request of state government the officials from Geology and Mining Department as well as geologists from India have visited the site and several plans have been drawn, but no regular mining has been done to extract sapphire, for its marketing in the world. The locals in connivance with the police cops have been secretly extracting sapphire from the mine, thus plundering the wealth.
Besides having valuable sapphire mine, the area is rich in scenic beauty, with salubrious climate and has vast potential for tourism also. In view of its tourism potential, particularly adventure tourism and pilgrimage potential of Paddar, the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had announced recently that steps would be taken to bring Paddar on the tourism map of the country. But nothing practical has been done either to provide infrastructure to make the area tourism worthy or to explore new mines and exploiting the present mines on scientific lines. |
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