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| "Mitti Mafia" moves to Damodar to threaten airport security | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 21: "Mitti Mafia" which was earlier active around Budgam and Chadoora areas of central Kashmir has now found a new area for excavation of soil and this may cause a direct threat to the security of Srinagar Airport. Authorities at the helm of affairs seem not at all worried over this dangerous development...
Details available with Early Times reveal that dozens of JCB's, tippers and load carriers are seen plying on the Wathoora Banhaar area which is close to Srinagar Airport near Karewa Damodar. From last two months soil is being excavated in this area which is hardly 1km away from the Airport runway. JCB's and heavy duty bull dozers are on the job in this area and nobody from Geology and Mining , District administration Budgam or Defence Estates Department are trying to stop this illegal work
The district administration which had acted against the organised gang of people (Mitti Mafia) responsible for excavating soil from Karewas of Budgam especially in Dardpora , Choon and adjoining localities of Budgam around June area again active from last one month as they take advantage of the unrest in Kashmir valley.
Early Times had filed several reports on this issue in May and June and finally the District Administration Budgam with active support of Police had launched a crackdown on this mafia. This activity had come to a halt and Early Times had filed an impact story also in this regard.
The Karewas (wodder) of central Kashmir's Budgam district are under continuous threat of extinction as the soil excavation work on these is not at all coming to halt since last more than a decade now. An estimated 30 to 40% of the Karewas in Budgam , Khansahib and Chadoora tehsils alone have been raised to ground after continuous plunder by huge bull dozers , JCB's and other heavy duty earth excavators.
As already reported soil excavation work on Budgam Karewa's began around 1995 after the work on Qazi Gund -Baramulla rail project began. Hundreds of trucks , tippers were pressed into work by the various construction firms who undertook various works for Railways which was executed by IRCON a mega construction firm. The soil was used for making elevated railway track and 90% of the soil which was used for such works was excavated from Karewas of Budgam , Pulwama and Baramulla districts
These Karewa's are famous for almond orchards. The saffron cultivation done on thousands of hectares of the Karewa land especially in Kaisermulla , Sarai Khampora , Kuzweira, Kultreh and a number of other villages. Due to soil excavation the almond and saffron cultivation has decreased a lot in these villages of Budgam .
The cases of bronchial asthama and other respiratory tract diseases has increased to a great extent in the areas bordering Chadoora and Pulwama areas . The crops, fruits orchards of the whole of the area has been degraded by the dust emanating from the site as well as of the soil dropped from the thousands of tippers plying in the area. The locals also allege that the High court had ordered for stopping the excavation work but the authorities have failed to implement the High Court orders. a writ directing the state to stop excavation but that too has been thrown to winds.
" The illegal practice had come to halt after Early Times filed several news reports , but after the unrest started in valley aftermath of killing of HM Militant Burhan Wani , the Mitti mafia again became active in several areas of Budgam especially Dardpora area . They come with JCB's during night hours and extract huge amount of soil and then transport it to other places in trucks , tractor trolleys and tippers" said Fayaz Ahmad a local resident of Razwen village in Budgam
" Karewa Damodar was out of reach for Mitti Mafia , but during unrest they have targeted this area under the garb of building road in the area but this is damaging ecology of the area plus it is threat to security of the airport as well. If airport will be expanded after few years , how can that be possible when these small hillocks would not exist at all" says Ali Mohammad a local resident of Wathoora |
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