Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 11: Excessive soil mining in the Khushalpora Chendan, Sangrama area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district is threatening an electrical transmission tower, leaving the nearby villages vulnerable to potential disaster.
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Local residents allege that the contractors responsible for the soil mining are exceeding their permitted limits, causing extensive damage to the Karewas. This unregulated excavation endangers the local population, and the most alarming consequence is the destabilisation of a major electrical transmission tower, which places the entire area at risk of a catastrophic event.
“This situation is not hidden from public view, as one can easily visit the site and witness the extensive damage caused by the illegal soil mining,” a local said.
An official with knowledge of the situation revealed that the government had granted permission to a company responsible for widening the Baramulla highway to extract soil from the Karewas. However, this permission has been exploited by a soil mafia that extracts more than permitted and sells the excess soil in the black market. “The extraction is continuous, with nearly a hundred dumpers transporting the soil to various locations in Baramulla. In one instance, a contractor assigned to extract 500 truckloads of soil ended up taking 2000,” he said.
He added that this unregulated activity has led to the seizure of approximately 193 dumpers and the closure of six illegal dumping sites, resulting in fines totaling around Rs 29lakhs for those responsible.
Officials from the district office of Geology and Mining acknowledge the challenge they face, citing a lack of human resources to effectively combat the soil mafia operating across an extensive 2230 square kilometre area. “We have only 22 employees and one vehicle available for this purpose. The soil mafia operates an extensive network, making it difficult for authorities to take effective action against them,” he said.
Sarfaraz Shaban, District Mineral Officer for Baramulla, said that permission for soil extraction has been granted to the JCC, which holds the contract for the Baramulla-Narbal highway. “This permission has been granted multiple times, with a limit of 500 metric tonnes each time to support ongoing work,” he said.
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