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| Crusher owners came to blows, turned tables, throw chairs at DMO office | | Ex-Minister’s security guards, DMO intervene to pacify them | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, May 25: Some affluent stone crusher owners of a border district, on Saturday came to blows, turned tables and threw chairs at each other, following a verbal duel at District Mineral Office (DMO), forcing the security guards of a former Minister to intervene and pacified the angry owners.
For the last over few months the mining operations have been almost stopped in the district and several stone quarry units were sealed by the former Deputy Commissioner, who had found them operating without permissions.
Huge penalties were imposed on the stone quarry owners for violation of the norms and even a former Minister in the BJP-PDP coalition government, was also not spared by the former DC, who had imposed a fine to the tune of over Rs 70 lakh on the crusher of ex-Minister for violation of various norms.
Sources said that the former Minister got an air about a meeting of some stone crusher owners of the district, who had been deciding the strategy to start the operations as the district administration had allowed some of them to carry on operations. “The Minister made a phone call to another stone crusher owner and enquired about the meeting and the crusher owner informed the former Minister the name of all the owners present in the meeting and the main person, who had organized the meeting”, sources said, adding that as the former Minister was also an owner and was also in talks with other crusher owners for deciding about the future strategy to start the operations but was not invited in the meeting.
Sources said that the former Minister called on the organizer of the meeting and complained for not inviting him in the meeting. “The organizer in turn asked the former Minister about the person, who had informed him about the meeting and the Minister in turn revealed the name of his informer, to the organizer, leaving him totally infuriated”, sources said, adding that the organizer got so irritated and angered that the verbally threw abuses at the informer on the phone call.
“After two days the former Minister as well as the Organizer of the meeting as well as informer of the Minister as well as his brother had visited the office of DMO for a meeting. When the organizer and the informer, came in front of each other they started verbally abusing each other and the issue got heated up while one other joined the fight. The stone crusher owners throw abuses, followed by passing blows, threw chairs and turned tables. The Personal Security Officers (PSOs) of the former Minister intervened along with the DMO and pacified both the sides”, sources said.
Sources further informed that though the issue has been sorted out for now but there were unconfirmed reports that an application has also been forwarded by a stone crusher owner against the other for violating of various norms in his operations.
“As per records during the lockdown the quarrying operations were stopped but at several locations, construction material had been transported from the crushers to the construction sites and the departmental officials as well as field personnel had been taking money from them in the form of levy (Royalty) but same was not submitted to department’s treasury but to the pockets of the officials as well as employees”, sources alleged, adding that the officials have made fortunes during the lockdown by allowing the stone crusher owners to sell material and transport same to various locations but the department has not got a single penny but same went to the pockets of the officials and employees. |
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