Mining department of Pauri imposes a penalty of Rs. 5.25 crores in Sam India Construction company for not lifting thousands of tins of debris from the Sumari village project site
SUNIL NEGI
In Uttarakhand at various locations where road widening and construction work of various government Projects is being undertaken, several hundred/ thousands tons of accumulated debris of silt, mud,rocky stones and dust is being dumped in valleys or nearby areas where agricultural fields, the slopes of the lower areas with tremendous vegetations, green trees etc are being destroyed on massive scale and the life of the locals living in villages and market areas including towns becoming highly cumbersome as there is dust all around. The Srinagar Sumari NIT project costs a staggering Rs. 650 crores.
For instance currently two projects, one at Gumkhal to Satpuli widening of roads projects and another at Shrinagar Sumari village NIT project thousands of tones of debris has been lying at the construction site accumulated and finally sliding down destroying the slopes and the agricultural fields making the surroundings barren inckudjng the agricultural fields.
The companies involved in these big projects are supposed to clear the debris on daily basis or on alternate days but the concerned companies or the contractors hardly clear the entire debris leaving the major part of the accumulated debris unattended finally being dumped there only destroying the green vegetation, the agricultural fields and during the monsoons the entire debris, converting into silt and flowing downwards further dumping on agricultural fields, making them either barren or of no use for future cultivation.
Meanwhile , a huge project of NIT building being constructed near Sumari village by a company Sam India which has further given the contract to a Himalayan company with no professional experience has been penalised for dumping massive debris in the same area, instead of clearing them for the last several months by the Mining department of Pauri Garhwal imposing on them the financial penalty of Rs. 5.25 crores holding them responsible for dumping more than two lakh cubic metre of debris in a wide area at the project side which has made the lives of the locals a hell and majority of the plants, trees and agricultural fields being completely destroyed.
Dr. Sudhir Joshi and the local villagers have been incessantly protesting at the site against Sam India company to clear the debris and ensure a environmentally friendly construction of the building keeping in view the already fragile environment and ecology of the Himalayas and the Uttarakhand state.
They had been constantly protesting finally compelling the Mining Department of Pauri to levy a financial penalty of Rs. 5.25 crores on Sam India Company for not clearing thousands of tones of debris lying in the nearby area making it a huge dumping ground which is illegal.
Dr. Sudhir Joshi said that they will not relent till the entire debris is lifted from the project site and area freed from the massive construction pollution including protecting the agricultural fields from being destroyed on massive scale.
