‘Illegal’ bridges come up on Yamuna to aid sand mining; green warriors see red

Temporary bridges person been built connected the Yamuna astir Palwal successful Haryana truthful that soil miners tin get adjacent person to the riverbed, leaving section residents irate and environmentalists fuming.The “illegal” bridges, which person reportedly travel up without authoritative support oregon situation clearance, are being utilized by amerciable miners to transportation instrumentality heavy into the stream to excavate soil and transport it.

Contracts for soil mining person been awarded successful Palwal, but section sarpanches and environmentalists accidental nary of the contractors has allegedly obtained biology clearance.

Villagers person approached authorities curate and Palwal MLA Gaurav Gautam to apprise him of their concerns regarding instrumentality and bid and the menace from the mining mafia. Gautam said the authorities had zero tolerance to amerciable mining and the contented would beryllium looked into and an probe conducted on-the-spot.

A practice has been sent to the CM seeking an enquiry into the matter. It seeks to item the mode successful which these amerciable bridges person been built and are utilized by miners to extract soil arsenic good arsenic the interaction it volition person connected the people of the Yamuna and its fragile ecosystem.

Opposition leaders person decided to up the ante, particularly successful airy of the BJP past twelvemonth making the Yamuna the centrepiece of its governmental run successful the combat for adjacent Delhi.

“The BJP government’s hypocrisy stands exposed. It talks astir redeeming the Yamuna but is sidesplitting it successful connivance with soil miners. Who allowed these bridges to beryllium built? How travel nary official, curate oregon BJP person sees this contempt galore complaints? The CM visited Palwal but had thing to accidental astir soil mining, a cardinal contented here,” said erstwhile Haryana curate and Congress person Karan Dalal.

Dalal has demanded that the permissions granted for soil mining beryllium reviewed.

“On the 1 hand, Haryana seeks to revive mislaid ecosystems with projects similar Green Wall and connected the other, this is what is happening connected the ground. The mining successful the Yamuna, which ‘is being legalised now’, volition not conscionable termination the stream but volition besides destruct villages on its banks. The authorities needs to reappraisal the issue,” said Jatinder Bhadana of the Save Aravalli Trust.

“Around 15 groups are operating here. Some person got contracts, others haven’t. A turf warfare is already connected and we person regular scuffles. We fearfulness that soon it volition crook into equipped wars and we volition look what galore crusher towns successful Rajasthan already have. We person approached the MLA,” said a section sarpanch.