Illegal mineral extraction continues in Karimabad Pulwama

PULWAMA — The residents of south Kashmir’s Karimabad village in Pulwama district on Thursday alleged that the illegal mineral extraction goes unabated in Nallah Romshi in different places of the district while the authorities are acting as a mute spectator.

Inhabitants of the district accused authorities of inaction against the ‘vested interest elements’ who, according to them, resort to illegal extraction of Bajri and boulders from the area.

Locals said that some people are extracting Bajri and boulders illegally from the Nallah, thereby resulting in the receding of water level besides weakening the embankments.

They said that illegal mining is posing a threat to their horticulture and agricultural land as the level of Nallah is going down with each passing day. “If the situation continues like this, the water from the Nallah won’t enter into the farm or agricultural lands whenever the farmers will need it for irrigation purposes,” they said, as per the news agency CNS.

“The illegal extraction from the Nallah is posing a threat to the fish production as well,” they said.

The locals further added that the JCBs are openly extracting the minerals from the Nallah while the authorities don’t even bother to reach the spot to take action against them and the illegal extraction process is carried out every day during morning hours.

“Illegal extraction is going on at night and morning time and the noise of tippers, tractors and other machines used for extraction is not even letting us sleep peacefully,” they added.

Meanwhile, the locals appealed to Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary to look into the matter and deal with the offenders strictly.

DMO Pulwama Majid Aziz Bhat said that an FIR has been registered against three smugglers on the complaint of local citizens. He further said that they have registered a case against Shabir Maqbool Ganie, Shabir Rehman Wani, both residents of Karimabad and Zahid Nazir Shaikh, resident of Wahibugh Pulwama for illegally removing borders from Romshi Nallah.