Stone quarry, crusher associations hold protest, ask authorities for revoking ban on quarrying

PAMPORE: Scores of quarry and stone crusher workers along with representatives of Panchayat Raj Institution and Gujjar Bakerwal Conference staged a peaceful protest demonstration at Wuyan village of Pampore area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday.
Stone quarry and stone crushers owners from Wuyal, Khrew, Khunmoh and adjoining areas were upset over cancellation of their short-term permits.
The protesting quarry and stone crusher workers were demanding short term permission for quarrying.
The protesters holding the placards and banners demanded revocation of the ban on stone quarrying activities. They shouted slogans demanding justice and revocation of the continuous ban on stone excavation by the government.
The protesters said that they have already suffered a lot due to the COVID-19 and now that the government has closed the stone quarry in Awantipora, Lethpora, Ladhoo, Khrew, Wuyan, Khanmoh and other adjoining areas.
” The ban was imposed two years ago which hit us badly, we have no work to do and are on the verge of starvation,” Nazir Ahmad, president all stone quarry association told the media. He said that they availed loans from banks but were unable to pay installments.
” The stone quarry association, tipper owners association and crusher owners association request LG of Jammu and Kashmir to intervene into the matter and allow us to work on short term permission,” he said.
“We are politely asking the government but they provoke us,” Gujjar Bakerwal Conference General sseceretery Choudhary Mohammad Yaseen Poswal told the media.
He said that their livelihood should be restored by lifting the ban.
He threatened to launch a bigger agitation if authorities fail to redress their grievance.
” Quarrying provides livelihood to locals from Awantipora to Athwajan,” he said, adding that the ban has snatched their livelihood.
“He said that they have applied for permission but their files are pending for many years,” he said, asking authorities to expedite the processing of their documents.
He appealed to the LG administration as well as Deputy Commissioner Pulwama to look into the matter without any further delay.

 

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