Avinash Azad
MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania turned the spotlight on Jammu and Kashmir’s stone crusher crisis and rampant illegal mining in Monday’s Legislative Assembly session, exposing glaring lapses in oversight.
The J&K government admitted that of 759 stone crushers and tar units (hot/wet mix plants) in the UT, only 577 are operational, with 182 languishing non-functional—177 due to pending NOCs from the Pollution Control Board (PCB), including a staggering 63 in Budgam alone.
Rajouri reported three units shut over penalties, while Anantnag saw one crippled by FIRs and another fined. Pathania’s second salvo hit harder, questioning unchecked mining’s toll on Udhampur’s infrastructure—Salmey, Biewan, and Kah More bridges—and ecosystems.
The government deflected, claiming Salmey Bridge’s 2021 collapse was flood-related, not mining-induced, and touted a slew of measures: multi-departmental task forces, vigilance squads, an e-marketplace, and a forthcoming Mine Surveillance System.
