J&K regional political parties, including the Hurriyat, on Saturday expressed concern over most of the sand mining contracts going to the outsiders in Kashmir this year.
According to the documents accessed by The Hindu, all 10 mineral blocks in the river Jhelum in Srinagar have gone to outsiders; in north Kashmir’s Baramulla, 26 sand mining contracts out of 38 mineral blocks have gone to the outsiders; and in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, of seven mineral blocks, four were awarded to outsiders during the bidding process.
Over 60% of mining contracts in south Kashmir have also gone to the outsiders, officials said.
CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami expressed concern that the move “will affect the livelihood of thousands of people in the region”.
“From contractors to sand diggers, labourers to transporters, who are directly or indirectly associated with the extraction of minerals, all will be in danger of losing their livelihood. Some of them, especially sand diggers have been involved in these activities for decades,” Mr. Tarigami said.
He said till last year, the rights for extraction of the minerals were exclusively reserved with local contractors. “With the bidding process being held online, locals were left at a disadvantage as high-speed Internet connectivity remains restricted in Kashmir after the Centre revoked Article 370 last August,” he pointed out.
The CPI (M) urged the J&K administration “to bar non-locals from carrying on with the extraction of minerals from the water bodies”.
Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) leader Mohammad Ashraf Mir also urged the government to allow the extraction of key construction material by the local mining contractors who have been otherwise barred due to e-tendering process.
“The blanket ban on extraction of building material has halted all types of developmental activities both in government and private sector,” said Mr. Mir.
A spokesman of the Hurriyat said the COVID-19 pandemic was employed to exploit J&K's natural wealth. “The authorities have ensured that the contracts for mineral blocks in every district of J&K are given to non-local contractors by manipulating it in their favour,” said a Hurriyat spokesman.
Traders body protests
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has described the policy adopted by the Geology and Mining Department with regard to allotment of mining and extraction contracts as “alarming and against public interest”.
“The lack of protective mechanisms in the policy has deprived thousands of families of their livelihood and exposed consumers to exploitation by a mining syndicate,” said a KCCI spokesman.
According to KCCI figures, the auction bid for 15 blocks in Pulwama has jumped from the previous ₹2 crore to ₹17.82 crore. “There is no way that the local contractors can compete and thus [are]disadvantaged,” the spokesman said.
The KCCI said the first claim on local resources rightfully belongs to the natives of Kashmir. “The KCCI appeals to Lt. Governor G. C. Murmu to put the new mining or extraction policy in abeyance,” the spokesman added.
