Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 17: Disconcerted over the open defiance of laws and prescribed guidelines by the politicians in running illegal brick kilns, stone crushers and hot /wet mix plants in the State and Jammu in particular, a large number of National Panthers Party (NPP) activists led by party chairman Harsh Dev Singh staged a protest demonstration at Exhibition Ground here today.
The agitated protesters accused the State Govt of shielding the delinquent Ministers, MLAs and MPs who were squarely responsible for environmental pollution besides bio-degradation causing serious health hazards to the public at large.
Addressing the media, Harsh Dev cautioned the Govt to initiate action and remove the same or be prepared to face public wrath including `gherao’ of such illegal unit holders. He regretted that consecutive media reports on the subject besides public protests had failed to awaken the concerned authorities who were willfully supporting these illegal units in view of their political influence. He said that several brick kilns, stone crushers and hot/wet mix plants, pesticide units in district Jammu, district Samba and district Kathua were owned and operated by Ministers who abused their position and authority to run these illegal units in circumvention of laws as also the categoric directives of National Green Tribunal, Supreme Court and High Court.
“Two illegal stone crushers adjacent to each other were installed by a Member Parliament in Krishanpur Manwal and several brick kilns by a sitting Minister in district Samba without requisite NOCs and despite huge public outrage in this locality with authorities concerned shutting their eyes to the grave irregularity”, regretted NPP leader.
Seeking the immediate disbanding of such un-authorized brick kilns and stone crushers, Singh said that such illegal units had caused huge environmental and ecological degradation besides serious hazards to human health. He said that there were hundreds of such stone crushes, especially around Kathua and river Ravi operating illegally. Some officials PCB and Geology & Mining are hand in glove with these people operating illegally and violating Supreme Court directive.
He regretted that even the Deputy Commissioners and SPCB, which were the nodal agency for regulation of stone crushers, brick kilns etc had abdicated their responsibility due to vested interests.
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