Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 3: High Court has directed the Geology and Mining Department as also the police to submit a tabulated chart indicating therein the number of vehicles seized from the year 2016 carrying minor minerals extracted from River Tawi without permission and in violation of court orders.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Pankat Mithat and Justice Rajnesh Oswal said that in pursuance of directions of the court large numbers of such vehicles are being seized by the Mining authorities and police as such sought details of such vehicles.
Government counsel on this directions sought some time for filing of the tabulated chart showing the number of vehicles seized from November 2016 by the Mining authorities as well as police in each district of J&K. Court granted him two weeks for the same.
These vehicles are being seized by the concerned authorities and the violators after filing of applications seeking release of their vehicles before the court and the court directed their release subject to costs of Rs 50, 000 against each vehicle.
Geology and Mining Department has already informed the court through its counsel that the extraction of minor minerals or other material from the river Tawi is completely banned and the extraction whatsoever is taking placing in illegal manner.
They previously expressed inability to understand as to why the vehicles are permitted to go into the river bed for the purpose of extraction and suggested for installation of CCTV cameras on the entry and exit points for the SSP Jammu was to identify the entry and exit points and considering the possibility of setting up CCTV cameras by connecting them with nearby control room.
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