RTI Group Flags Mining, Land Issues In Budgam

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) BUDGAM- The smell of dust still hangs over Sukhnag River, long after the machines stopped digging.

On Wednesday, a small delegation walked into the office of Budgam's newly posted Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat. They didn't come with slogans or protest banners. Just facts, names, and a growing list of what they say is being lost-rivers, pastures, livelihoods.

“There are laws. But they're only on paper,” said Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, who led the group from the Jammu and Kashmir RTI Movement.“What we're seeing is destruction in broad daylight.”

The activists handed over documents and verbal complaints. They spoke of illegal clay mining in remote blocks, of fruit trees axed without fair compensation in Surasyar, and of Gujjar and Chopan herders being denied access to traditional grazing routes.

“Pastoralists are being pushed off their own land,” said Basharat Chopan, who has lived off the highland pastures of Tosamaidan since childhood.“Now they have to beg for permissions.”

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For years, local herders say, a confusing maze of permits and official delays has kept them from reaching meadows they've used for generations. Some have given up. Others still try.

The group also called for opening trekking routes across Pir Panjal, including Yusmarg and Doodhpathri, where local youth have invested in guiding and homestay services.“People prepared for tourists. The tourists are ready. But the gates are closed,” said Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, RTI Movement's district coordinator.

Mining, though, was the sharpest concern. The National Green Tribunal recently flagged violations in Sukhnag. Residents claim extraction continues under the radar.

“They take the sand, leave craters, and disappear,” said Shabir Ahmad Bhat, another member of the group.“The damage stays behind.”

Dr. Raja Muzaffar acknowledged recent action by police in Charar Sharief and Chadoora.“But it shouldn't take a court to get results,” he said.“The administration should be one step ahead.”

The meeting ended without promises but with what the activists described as a“patient hearing.”

“We're not asking for favours,” Dr. Muzaffar concluded.“We're asking them to follow the law.”

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