Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 17: The State High Court today granted two weeks to Government for filing the reply in a Public Interest Litigation seeking prevention and controlling the pollution emanated from the cement plants in various parts of South Kashmir.
Division Bench of Justice MH Attar and Justice B S Walia directed the Government through Chief Secretary and Commissioner/ Secretary Forest to file reply to the PIL within a period of two weeks.
Court also sought reply from Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, Chairman of State Pollution Control Board, Directors of Floriculture, Agriculture and Horticulture on the contents raised in the PIL.
The petitioner in the PIL has raised issues of pollution by cement plants in their locality and has alleged failure of the authorities in checking the life hazardous pollutants emanating from the factories.
”Entire area is under a huge burden of industrial pollution and the activities undertaken by manufacturing of cement, querying of lime stone and the burning of fuel,” the petitioners said in the PIL filed by them through Advocate Mohammad Ashraf Wani.
The cement manufacturing process, the petitioner alleged, is responsible for causing air and water pollution which result in great ecological imbalance as also slow poisoning of the inhabitants of the areas of Khrew, Wuyan, Pampore (the saffron town) and other areas.
”These areas are famous for saffron cultivation. The Government of India and the State Government has started project, Saffron Mission, by investing huge money to encourage Saffron cultivation and to increase its production. However, it is paradoxical that in the same areas the cement plants are being commissioned without any check which is illogical and self destruction of economy”, reads the PIL.
The petitioner prayed that the cement plants owned by the Government and other private persons be directed to adhere to the safety measures which are undertaken by them when NOCs are issued. “Registration of those violating the norms and other safety measures should be cancelled”, submitted the petitioner.
The directions are also sought for paying compensation to the people for causing pollution and “such compensation be utilized for repairing the loss caused to the environment under the principles of Polluters Pay Principle (PPP) and Corporate Social Responsibility.”
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