Material worth hundreds of crores looted from Sukhnag river, only Rs 1 crore paid as royalty: Activist

Srinagar: Environmental activist and petitioner Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat has alleged that riverbed material worth hundreds of crores of rupees was illegally extracted from the Sukhnag river in central Kashmir’s Beerwah area, while only around Rs 1 crore was deposited as royalty in government accounts, calling it a case of both environmental destruction and massive economic loss to the state.

His remarks came after a high-level supervisory committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) reported that around 15 lakh tonnes of riverbed material, including boulders, sand, gravel and nallah muck, had been extracted from the Sukhnag river.

The panel, comprising experts and senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), inspected the affected stretch of the river at Sail and Kangripora villages in Budgam district on March 18, 2026.

According to the report submitted through the J&K Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC), field assessments revealed extensive excavation through deep trenching, with the quantity of extracted material estimated at around 15.3 lakh tonnes based on an average excavation depth of 5.22 metres. Even under a conservative estimate of 3.86 metres, extraction was assessed at more than 10.6 lakh tonnes.

The committee observed significant alteration of the river’s natural course and warned of long-term ecological impacts, including damage to the river landscape, aquatic life, fisheries, flora, fauna and groundwater aquifers.

The NGT is scheduled to hear the matter on July 13, 2026, when a final judgment is expected.
Dr Muzaffar has sought criminal action against officials who allegedly permitted the mining operations and demanded environmental compensation for the damage caused.

He also called for restoration of the affected river stretch and compensation for fish farmer Perzada Rayees, whose trout farm reportedly suffered losses after around 2,000 fish died due to the mining activity.

The report recommends a complete moratorium on mining activities within a 5-km stretch upstream and downstream of Sail Bridge up to Beerwah town until the river system is restored. It also calls for riverbed re-profiling, habitat restoration, fish restocking, riparian plantation and installation of CCTV-based monitoring systems to prevent future illegal mining.

Earlier investigations by teams from the MoEFCC, CPCB, JKPCC and the Budgam district administration had also confirmed large-scale illegal riverbed mining in the area, leading to the suspension of mining operations in January.