Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 2: Though department of Geology and Mining claimed that mining in river Ravi has been banned and all stone crushers along the river in district Kathua have been sealed but a protest demonstration on Monday afternoon by truck and tractor operators exposed these claims.
Over one dozen truck and tractor operators staged protest demonstration outside Police Station Kathua and later visited the office of District Mining Officer (DMO) Kathua. The protesters alleged that they transport construction material from the stone crushing units, installed along river Ravi but some unknown goons charged royalty for the construction material. The royalty slip reads, “Trading-slip Railway, Crusher copy”, along with the registration number of vehicle as well as royalty charged.
Though the issue pertained to the charging of royalty, but the protest by truck and tractor operators, exposed the claims of Geology and Mining department, which claimed that stone crushers have been sealed and mining was banned. “If all the stone crushers along river Ravi in J&K limits are sealed, then from where these truck and tractor operators have been getting the construction material for which royalty is charged”, an official said, adding that the theory of mining ban and crushers’ sealed hold no water.
Sources claimed that the reality of the situation was that stone crushers along river Ravi in district Kathua have been operational during night hours and produce construction material, which they have been supplied to the truck-tractor operators. “The construction material could only be supplied if the same is mined from the river Ravi. The mining is also going on during night hours and construction material is extracted rampantly from river Ravi, despite ban on mining as claimed by the Geology and Mining Department”, sources said. |
