Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President Altaf Bukhari on Saturday urged the government to formulate a revised policy to address the issues pertaining to viability of industrial units and livelihood of thousands of families associated with geology and mining activities in J&K.
In a statement, Bukhari said till the policy was chalked out, the government must allow extraction and lifting of raw material including stones, sand and aggregate on short term permit basis.
“Since there is a blanket ban on stone quarrying and sand digging activities in both divisions of J&K, the government must issue short term permits to the stakeholders so that the closed crusher units are made functional. This way the livelihood of lakhs of people who solely depend on this business can be reinstated,” he said.
Bukhari said the ban on extraction and lifting of raw material including stones, sand, gravel and aggregate has not only created acute shortage of key construction material in the market but also caused huge cost escalation, affecting overall developmental activities in private and public sectors.
“The local quarry owners at Athwajan, Panthachowk, Zewan, Khanmouh in Srinagar and Kathua, Samba, Akhnoor, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar in Jammu should be allowed to go for extraction and lifting of raw material on short term permit basis and similarly in Baramulla, Kupwara, Budgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Anantnag, rural areas, Panchayats should be authorized to allow lifting and extraction of raw material in their respective areas,” Bukhari said.
Emphasizing on the need for a revised policy on geology and mining activities in J&K, Bukhari urged the government to ask the department concerned to replicate the policies feasible clauses of Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand models which provide safeguards to locals in minor mineral exploitation processes and ensures their livelihood was not jeopardized by illegal mining and e-auctioning processes.
“Since the first claim on local resources rightfully belongs to the natives of J&K, the government must chalk-out a protective mechanism as the illegal extraction of raw material has deprived lakhs of local families of their occupation and exposed consumers to skyrocketing prices of key construction materials,” he said.
The JKAP President demanded that all the left out mineral blocks in J&K should be well demarcated and notified within the radius of around eight km for stone crusher units and at least 50 per cent of these demarcated blocks should be reserved for local stakeholders.
Bukhari said the faulty policies of the government have led to shortage of key construction material which has not only resulted into huge cost escalation but has also put the developmental activities to a grinding halt in both private and public sectors across J&K.