Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov, 14: Expressing serious concern on the growing environmental pollution due to mushrooming growth of stone crushers, brick klins and cement plant in various areas of the State, the Chairman, Environment Committee of the Legislative Assembly, M.Y. Tarigami, today urged for an effective regulating and monitoring mechanism, adding that existing Environment (Protection) Act needs to be implemented strictly.
Speaking at a meeting of the Environment Committee (EC) in the Central Hall of the Legislature Complex, Mr. Tarigami said that both short term and long term measures should be taken to protect State’s fragile environment from the hazardous effects of stone crushers, cement plants brick kilns and industrial waste. He said guidelines of the Supreme Court regarding eco-sensitive zoning should be adhered to effectively, adding that there should be no compromise on environment while conceiving developmental programmes.
“We can wait for development for a while but cannot afford vandalization of fragile environment”, Mr. Tarigami said, adding that immediate steps should be taken to study the adverse impact of environmental pollution. He said pollution clearance should be the pre-requisite for any industrial venture.
The members of the EC unanimously expressed serious concern over the pollution caused to the environment due to mining and industrial activities, pesticide units, stone crushers, brick kilns and cement plants in Kashmir as well as Jammu regions.
After threadbare discussion, it was decided to constitute a 5 member Sub-Committee headed by Ch. Zulfikar Ali which will study the impact of brick kilns on the environment. The EC also recommended to the Government that the Committee constituted for studying impact of cement pollution should also study the impact of brick kilns on environment.
Legislators, Mohd. Sharief Niaz, Ashok Khajuria, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, Peer Afaq Ahmed, Mohd. Ashraf Ganai, Krishan Chander, Ch. Zulfikar Ali, Sham Lal Choudhary, Prof. Gharu Ram and Ch. Sukhnandan gave their valuable suggestions to check hazards of environment pollution.
The Commissioner Secretary Industries and Commerce Shant Manu, who is Chairman of the Environment Pollution Assessment Committee, constituted by the Government to study impact of cement plants on environment, informed that Head of the Departments of Environment of both the Universities of Jammu and Kashmir have also been co-opted with the Committee as experts.
Among others Chairman Pollution Control Board Lal Chand, Director Industries and Commerce Jammu B.S. Dua, Director Geology and Mining J.A. Khan, Managing Director JK Cements Ltd. R K Razdan, Managing Director Industries Javed Iqbal and other officers of Industries and Commerce, PCB and Assembly Secretariat including Deputy Secretary Naseem Jan also attended the meeting.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel