Resolve geology, mining crisis in J&K: Altaf Bukhari
SRINAGAR, March 17(HS): Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the lackadaisical attitude of the government that has led to a grinding halt in developmental activities, black-marketing and an unprecedented escalation in prices of construction material across Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing a press conference here at Party office in Lal Chowk, Bukhari regretted the acute shortage of construction material that has led to illegal extraction and hoarding of construction material like sand, aggregate, gravel and stones causing immense sufferings to the general public. The press conference was attended by Party’s senior vice president Ghulam Hassan Mir, Party’s general secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir and Party’s provincial president Kashmir province Mohammad Ashraf Mir. “It is highly unfortunate that the natives of J&K who have been associated with minor mineralogy business since decades have been sidelined and the contractors from outside J&K who are yet to produce environmental clearances have been given a free hand to control the market,” Bukhari observed while appealing for personal intervention of the Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha into the matter. Apni Party president said that the e-auction for extraction of raw material was held clandestinely without giving any wide publicity to the tendering process which has drastically resulted into exclusion of the local contractors.
