Looters of the wealth of the people know of many ways of looting the State. What is shocking is that various government functionaries are becoming partners in this general loot by clandestinely collaborating with the mafia. They are depleting natural wealth of the State be it forests, water or mineral wealth. A nexus has come up comprising Industries and Commerce and Geology and Mining Departments and the grey gold mafia. They are looting the grey wealth meaning sand, pebbles, stones and gravel etc. from the bed of the rivers of Jammu namely Ravi, Ujh, Basantar, Tarnah, Devak, Tawi, Chenab and other streams and nullahs. It is estimated that the State exchequer is looted of anything between 70 and 75 crore rupees annually. This loot is happening despite prohibition orders by the District Magistrates of districts through which these rivers or stream flow. This wanton loot has been going for so many decades and no officer has been objecting to it and taking any punitive measure.
More astonishing is the fact that the looters of grey gold from River Ravi are the mafia from Punjab who are looting it in collaboration with the State functionaries. Machines and stone crushers are openly operating in the river bed and are visible to the naked eye. Yet at no stage is there any objection to this state of affairs. 80 per cent of the material extracted from Ravi bed goes to Punjab while hardly 15 to 20 per cent falls to the share of the people of Jammu region.
This wanton loot of natural resources should come to an end forthwith. The mafia is digging the river bed down to any depth of over 50 feet whereas according to standard rules they have not to go deeper than 5-6 feet.
State authorities should take serious view of this situation and take corrective measures immediately, if we are to save our mineral wealth and river beds.
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