DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
KULGAM, June 7
Sukhnandan Choudhary, former Minister & BJP senior leader asked the LG administration to approve the tenders and grant permission for legal mining in Tawi river on the pattern of other agencies involved in government construction works. Dr. Pardeep Mahotra, J&K BJP Media Incharge, and DDC Dharminder Kumar also accompanied the former Minister, while he addressed the media persons in a Press Conference organized at BJP headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu. Sukhnandan Kumar Choudhary said that the government had already advertised the “Block” auction inviting tenders from the eligible on multiple occasions, tenders were submitted but the matter was subdued due to reasons best known to the concerned departments and their officials. “If Environment Clearance cannot be provided by the department for these tenders, then how come the mining/dressing permission can be provided to other agencies to use the sand and gravel from “Tawi” in the same circumstances? What can possibly the reason for this bias by the concerned departments?”, said Sukhnandan Choudhary. “When already several agencies are using the sand and gravel to use in the construction works initiated by the government, why the same permissions and the pattern are not being used by the concerned departments to give a relief to the common masses?”, questioned Sukhnandan.
“Common people are forced to pay exorbitant process for the sand and gravel due to the restrictions imposed on the mining. People have to pay in thousands for the same sand for which they had to pay in hundreds earlier”, said Sukhnandan who added that the cost of home construction for the people has multiplied at least 1.5 times due to this restriction.
He also raised concern for the poor owners of tractor-trolleys whose vehicles are seized by the police and are decaying at various police posts. He said that they are the poor persons who have collected money with much difficulty to buy these vehicles and are now not able to pay off their loans and debts due to this inadvertent delay in this distribution and allocation policy.
Sukhnandan Choudhary said that he has already brought the matter to the notice of honourable Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and once again through the channel of media he requested LG to give immediate relief to the common masses. He said that he is hopeful that like earlier, LG will also take a quick decision on this matter to give relief to the masses.
He also asked the Chief Secretary that now the public has high hopes for him as he is the son of soil and asked him to resolve the matter.
