MoEF, CPCB team visits Sukhnag on NGT’s direction

Srinagar, Dec 26: A team consisting of senior officials of Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate change (MoEF) , Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and J&K Pollution Control Committee today visited Sukhnag in Beerwah of Budgam district on the directions of National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Reports said that locals from Sail and Kangripora villages of Beerwah in large numbers came out and urged upon the team members to order stopping the illegal riverbed mining (RBM) in Sukhnag river.

The young and old men spoke to the tea, constituted by NGT in the matter of Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat v/s UT of J&K (OA No-1211/2024) .

The team which flew from New Delhi / Chandigarh had come make on ground assessment of the damages caused to Sukhnag river by a construction company NKC Projects Pvt Ltd which according to the petition filed in NGT has been involved in large scale excavation of boulders , bajri and other riverbed material in the area for last 3 years without obtaining any environmental clearance.

The team of officers assured the locals that justice would be done with them as per law and they would submit a factual report to the NGT before the next date of hearing. The matter is listed for another hearing on January 14, 2025

Pertinently on October 4, 2024 the NGT’s Principal Bench of Justice Prakash Srivastava (Chairperson) , Justice A K Tyagi (Judicial Member) and Dr Senthil A Veil (Expert Member) heard petition filed by Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat social and environmental activist wherein he had alleged that illegal riverbed in Sukhnag was causing environmental disaster plus destroying the aquatic life especially the trout fish

Advocate Saurabh Sharma the counsel for the petitioner apprised the NGT three member principal bench with factual details and produced geotagged pictures of the heavy machines and dumpers extracting boulders from the Sukhnag Nallah in violation of J&K’s Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2016. The counsel for the petitioner also argued that due to halting of water flow in May this year more than 2000 fishes were dead in a nearby Trout Fish Farm owned by a local entrepreneur Peerzada Rayees and Govt didn’t took any action even as communication was made between SDM , Tehsildar and Fisheries department.

“I am happy to see the NGT constituted team on the ground and they saw the destruction themselves. I am sure that they would provide factual details of the NGT and I hope huge environmental compensation would be imposed on the violators plus the fish farmers will also be compensated, “ said Dr Raja Muzaffar

The team was apprised by the locals that their agricultural fields have turned dry plus the local springs -naags have been impacted as well due to deep mining. The villagers told the visiting team that water gets contaminated due to mining and there is a lot of dust pollution in the area due to movement of dumpers and tippers carrying riverbed material. Director Fisheries J&K , SDM Beerwah , SDPO Magam, Tehsildar Beerwah, District Mineral Officer -DMO Budgam, SHO Beerwah and petitioner in the case Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat were also present during the visit.