BARAMULLA: The tipper, truck and stone quarry unions here in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district staged a protest against the government who are forcing them to stop the work in different stone quarries and till they received the environment clearness certificates from the government.
President Baramulla tipper owners association and chairman Baramulla stone quarries association Abdul Majid Akhoon said that, recently the centre government passed seeking environment clearness certificates from us and we have submitted all relevant documents.
However, the Geology and Mining Department are stopping the tipper, truck, trolley drivers and those people mostly from labours working in different stone quarries in Baramulla and in other areas of district, due to which these people are left unemployed.
“We are paying tax and other charges to the government from years as per law, however even after filing our documents they delay is from the government side to provide us the clearance certificates,” he said.
“It is their fault not ours and the irony is that the department of geology and mining are fining our drivers every day and not allowing our laborers to work in stone quarries mostly in Khanpora, Drangbal, and in Veriwan areas where thousands of people are working.
We approached the concerned department so many times to allow us and do not levy fines our drivers allow lifting of loose material, however they don’t allow us and every day they are taking fine from our drivers.
We are ready to pay all the charges as the government will decide, but we urged the government that till the concerned board will provide us certificates, give us permission to lift the loose material around so that we will not be left idle, ” Akhoon told Kashmir Reader.
Later a delegation of protesting people also met Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla through SHO Baramulla and he assure us that they will took the issue with concern department and higher authorities and we called off our protest, but we will not resume our work for next two days till government will take the issue seriously and will resolve our issues, he added.
Abdul Salam a tipper driver said our vehicle’s are stranded and our families are facing hardships, the government should allow us to lift the loose material till the board in Delhi provides us certificates, otherwise what we will starve.
Earlier the protesting people blocked the Srinagar Uri highway for some time due to which traffic movement was halted on the road.

Reader correspondent