Rejecting the inquiry ordered into the latest ‘scam of illegal mining’ in and around Tawi river belt, the leaders of Congress and other opposition parties and social organisations have demanded a high-level judicial probe into the entire gamut of mineral extractors-Babus-politicians nexus operating in Jammu Kashmir particularly in Jammu Division.
The main accusation of all those demanding judicial probe was that Inquiry Committee constituted by the government comprising the officials of same Geology and Mining Department which itself was responsible for facilitating the violations in mining activities and facing the charges of corruption, extortion commonly known as ‘Hafta Vasooli’ in local parlance. ‘It is like asking the accused to hold the probe against himself. How can the members of the enquiry committee dare to go deep into the role of politicians and officers holding powerful positions in the system?
Moreover, illegal mining is not confined only to a stretch of a few kilometres of river Tawi passing through Jammu town for which the High Court has taken cognizance in the Public Interest Litigation. The undeniable fact is that the entire Union Territory of the Jammu and Kashmir is subjected to unscientific, illegal extraction of minor minerals from the rivers, streams, Nallahs etc.
Each and every river is crucial to the equilibrium of the environment and its “living organism,” the blood that nourishes the earth. It is a fundamental resource along its entire route not only for human life but for fauna and flora too.
Flash flood is a misnomer, above all department has got no data of any kind to rely upon and compare that with the so-called rate and quaintly of annual sedimentation viz a viz mining of minor minerals such as bajri, sand Boulders.
Decisions on where to mine and for how much and how long, requires statutory environment assessment, site-specific topographic, hydrologic, hydraulic information besides sedimentation behaviour of the river.
It is essential information to determine the volume of minor minerals that can be removed from the area without causing undue erosion or degradation, either at the site or at a nearby location, upstream or downstream. It is also called Sand Budgeting, which is not being carried anywhere in the UT on any river stream and other sources. Even forests that are non-mining zones are exploited gravely causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem.
Public trust and good governance are two basic requirements of democratic government for that purpose transparency and information dissemination to the masses are prerequisite. The controversy like Mining Gate and high-level corruption charges required to be inquired by some credible probing body that can restore public confidence. Past experience showed that in all such cases the government blissfully ignored the truth, which is just diametrically opposite, by tumbling out a low-key enquiry committee. And a few days later, amnesia for sure.
