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| Brick kiln owners have Revenue, Police, PDD, PCB officials on their pay rolls | | 10 departments shut eyes to brazen violation of 12 laws in Budgam | | Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
BUDGAM, Oct 9: Even after closure of five unauthorized units in the last three years, as many as 155 brick kilns are continuously operating without PCB’s mandatory consent in full knowledge of the authorities in Budgam district. Surprisingly, most of these units have been set up in brazen violation of at least 12 laws and officials of 10 particular departments have conveniently shut their eyes to this wanton ecological vandalism.
One does not need a helicopter flight or a surfing through Google Earth as over 80% of these highly polluting brick kilns have been laid in the last three years on either side of the main district and Tehsil roads. One can easily find these units laid on agriculture (Abi Awwal) and horticulture fields, just yards away from the main roads used by officers of the state, divisional and district administration for their routine business almost every day. According to the PCB’s siting criteria, no brick kiln can be allowed to operate within distance of 500 metres from population of 20 or more residential houses, orchards, Abi Awwal farms and saffron fields besides 1000 metres from an educational institution.
Making a mockery of all laws and rules recorded on the papers, owners enjoying connivance of the officials of 10 particular government departments have set up these kilns not only on the most sensitive Abi Awwal (paddy fields) and orchards but also in the centre of populated villages and government schools. Government Middle School of Watirwani, with the student roll of over a hundred, is hardly 20 metres from its nearest kiln and it is not an exception.
“We have approached all concerned authorities, sent them delegation and representation with one simple request that this ecological vandalism be stopped in accordance with the laws and rules. There has been no action as almost all the officials are on the pay rolls of the kiln operators. Residents of about a dozen villages are now selling their properties and fleeing to safer and cleaner areas as hundreds of them have contracted pollution related diseases and their crops have been completely destroyed”, said Syed Mohammad Rizvi of Dadina, on Budgam-Nasrallapora-Sholipora Road. Over a dozen of completely unauthorized kilns have come up on this road from Nassralapora to Sholipora in the last three years.
During the course of an investigation, insiders revealed to Early Times that the officials of Revenue, Police, PCB and PDD were on the pay rolls of the owners of unauthorized kilns who pay them fixed amounts of money regularly every month. According to these sources, each unauthorized unit holder initially pays cash worth Rs 100,000 to 300,000 (depending on seriousness of his particular violation of laws and distance from main roads) at the initial stage of laying a kiln to officials at Tehsil (Territorial), Rs 50,000 to Rs 100,000 to the concerned Police Station besides equal amount to the field officials of PCB in the area.
Each kiln owner pays Rs 100,000 to 150,000 to officials of PDD (who provide illegal connections to buildings, structures and tenements of labourers), R&B (who shut their eyes to mass erosion that damages and destroys roads), Department of Environment & Ecology & Remote Sensing (who refuse to notice destruction of paddy fields and orchards on their ISRO maps and do not object to the brazen vandalism), Geology & Mining (who prefer to take Hafta rather than the royalty), Irrigation (who do not object to misuse of irrigation minors for making of bricks), PHE (who allow pilferage of drinking water pipelines), Department of Commercial Taxes and sometimes also to the officials of Agriculture and Horticulture departments.
Officials of most of these departments subsequently collect monthly or seasonal payments from these unauthorized unit holders in addition to extortion of truckloads of bricks for themselves and their relatives and friends.
In Budgam district, 80% to 90% of these units---who have neither PCB’s consent nor any anti-pollution devices---have lately come up on either side of Budgam-Nasrallapora-Beerwah Road, Budgam-Nasrallapora-Sholipora-Sholipora Road, Budgam-Nasrallapora-Garend-Wahabpora Road, Budgam-Nasrallapora-Soibug Road, Budgam-Chhoon-Parneewa Road, Budgam-Ichhigam-Khansahab Road, Budgam-Patwaw-Shogapora Road, Budgam-Ichhigam-Chadoura Roads as also on most of the linking roads.
Mirgunda, Pallar, Dafpora, Nasrallapora, Kadipora, Sangam, Paimus, Watirwani, Dadina, Aalipora, Potlibagh, Beta Bagh, Chondpora, Labartal, Charangam, Poonchgund, Bonhama, Utligam, Gondipora, Sonpah, Hayatpora, Garend, Mahwara, Heewudar, Patwaw, Jahama, Qazibagh, Dadpora, Chhoon, Falsal, Ichhigam, Godsathoo, Panzan and adjoining villages have been the worst affected, causing serious problems to the heath, agriculture and horticulture fields of over 300,000 people.
Most of these units install iron chimneys, which have been banned by Supreme Court of India over three years ago, do not fit any anti-pollution devices and burn rubber tyres as fuel alongwith hardcoke. Huge volumes of deadly carbon dioxide and other gases and dust storms besides open defecation of thousands of Bihar, UP and Punjab labourers upstream of irrigations khulls have caused a major threat to entire population.
They charge exorbitant rates from their customers but do neither keep a record of their sales nor pay any VAT or other taxes towards the government. While laying the kilns, they openly destroy paddy fields on Abi Awwal lands, uproot specified trees like mulberry, chinar and walnut without seeking permission from the Revenue authorities and also excavate earth on Kahcharai land while paying fixed amounts to officials of different government departments. Insiders said that both DC Budgam, Mohammad Rafi, as well as SSP Budgam, Aftab Ahmed Kakroo, were completely helpless before these kiln owners who were believed to be enjoying protection from certain political leaders.
MLA Budgam and a Cabinet Minister, Aga Syed Ruhulla, is known for integrity like DC and SSP but he too has reportedly surrendered before the powerful brick kiln lobby. Notwithstanding his declaration in a television programme two months ago---“all these unauthorized brick kilns will be removed and dismantled within a month”---all the 155 kilns, figuring in the PCB inventory---are operating without an iota of fear from the authorities.
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