Warning bells sounded by House Panel still being ignored
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 3: Huge population living in the vicinity of Udhampur-Chenani and Nashri-Ramban-Banihal stretches of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is suffering from chest and lung diseases as the ongoing widening works have continuously been polluting the environment by generating uncontrolled dust.
The prevailing situation is notwithstanding the fact that Committee on Environment of the Legislative Assembly had timely sounded the warning bells with the suggestion to the Government to take preventive measures and even come out with Social Environmental Framework so that all the pre and post constructional issues in respect of all mega projects are taken into account for necessary remedial measures well in time.
While travelling on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway recently, this Correspondent noticed dumping of huge construction material and debris on road side by the concerned executing agencies, which is causing adverse impact on environment besides putting the people residing in the peripheries of the National Highway to numerous hardships. Lack of coordination between various agencies entrusted with the task of lifting the muck and other material from the sites was also noticed.
On Udhampur-Chenani stretch of the National Highway dense clouds of dust is a common phenomenon as company entrusted with the task of widening work rarely sprinkles water, which otherwise is imperative to settle the dust to minimize the impact on environment as well as to provide clear visibility to the vehicle operators.
From Nashri onwards, throwing of muck directly into River Chenab particularly during night hours by the project executing agencies and their sub-contractors despite availability of legal dumping yard was also noticed thereby establishing non-serious approach of all the concerned agencies like Pollution Control Board, concerned SSPs and Deputy Commissioners.
While the Pollution Control Board is supposed to take stock of the situation after regular intervals and pass necessary directions to the agencies engaged for widening of the National Highway so that environment pollution is checked, the Deputy Commissioners and SSPs concerned are required to ensure stabilization of all dumping sites in their respective jurisdiction.
In the Ramban town, the shopkeepers said that dust has virtually made their lives hell. The intensity of the prevailing situation can be gauged from the fact that even District Hospital Ramban has been impacted by the dust.
“There is sharp rise in the number of people suffering from chest and lung diseases ever since the highway widening works have been started”, said Dr Dharamveer Singh, Medical Superintendent of District Hospital Ramban when contacted, adding “the number is on continuous rise and people living in the vicinity of the highway are the worst victims of the environmental hazards being caused by the widening works”.
“Not only aged persons even children are also suffering from lung diseases due to heavy dust particles in the area”, he further said, “we are facing problem of huge dust particles even in the hospital premises and this clearly indicates that adequate steps are not being taken by the executing agencies to minimize the impact of widening works”.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Chenani, when contacted, too confirmed rise in number of people suffering from lung and chest diseases. “People permanently residing in the vicinity of highway are the worst victim as they are continuously exposed to the dust particles”, he said.
The prevailing situation has clearly established that the warning bells sounded by Committee on Environment of Legislative Assembly have been ignored by all the concerned agencies of the State as well as project executing companies, official sources said.
While expressing concern over environmental and health hazards being caused by the highway widening works, the House Panel headed by CPM MLA Mohd Yousuf Tarigami had stressed for initiating timely corrective measures. Moreover, it had asked the Roads and Buildings Depar-tment to formulate Social Environmental Framework so that all the pre and post constructional issues in respect of all mega projects are taken into account for necessary remedial measures well in time.
However, neither R&B Department has come out with Social Environmental Framework nor pressure has been exerted on the project executing agencies for minimizing adverse impact on the environment and health of the people, sources informed.
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