Budgam: In blatant violation of a Supreme Court order and an existing ban, illegal riverbed mining has allegedly resumed in the Doodh Ganga stream at Kralwari Borwah village in Chadoora, Budgam.
Activist and petitioner before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Raja Muzaffar Bhat, has lodged a formal complaint with the Chairperson of the Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC), alleging that large-scale extraction of muck and gravel is taking place using heavy machinery at the site, which is a designated trout fish beat.
In his complaint, Bhat said the District Mineral Officer (DMO) Budgam and the Assistant Director, Fisheries Department, have issued disposal or short-term permits to a contractor without obtaining mandatory Environmental Clearance (EC), which he termed a violation of the Supreme Court’s Noble M. Paikada vs Union of India judgment delivered on March 21, 2024.
The court had ruled that no mining activity can be permitted without prior EC and that the issuance of disposal permits in such cases is invalid.
Bhat further pointed out that the NGT had earlier banned mining in Doodh Ganga in March 2024 in his case (IA No. 519) and even imposed an interim penalty of Rs 15.79 lakh on the contractors for illegal extraction. The tribunal had directed the JKPCC to recover the full penalty, which, according to Bhat, has not yet been enforced.
“Despite a letter from the Assistant Director of Fisheries Budgam asking the DMO to stop the use of heavy machinery in Doodh Ganga, the work continues unabated,” Bhat said, alleging that the DMO is misleading higher authorities, including the District Magistrate, by not citing the Supreme Court judgment.
He has urged the JKPCC to intervene immediately, stop the illegal activity, and impose environmental compensation on the concerned officials and the contractor.
Bhat told the Free Press Kashmir that he has also attached photographs, NOCs, and official correspondence between departments as evidence of the ongoing illegal mining.
