Udhampur, 30 August (H.S.): Giving a stern warning to mining mafia, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today called for immediate and strict check on illegal mining and encroachments to prevent future catastrophes and damage to roads and bridges.
Talking to reporters during his visit to damaged portion of National Highway here today, Dr Jitendra Singh warned that illegal mining by mafia is main cause of bridges getting damaged.
He said even NHAI has also warned against unabated illegal mining near bridges on various rivers including Keerian Gadiyal bridge over Ravi river and other bridges.
He said instead of entering into blame game it is the responsibility of us all to launch a crusade against illegal mining as the mafia involved in illegal mining should keep in mind that their activities are putting the State exchequer to a heavy loss.
He also declared that a bridge at the damaged portion of National Highway at Jakhaini in Udhampur besides an alternative road will be constructed so that no catastrophe takes place in future.
Later, the Minister chaired a meeting with district administration and representatives of various departments in Udhampur to review the situation arising out of recent heavy rains and to take stock of the ongoing restoration efforts. Earlier, he visited the sites where the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway had caved in at Thad and Benali Nallah.
Referring to Keerian Gadiyal bridge, Dr Jitendra Singh said that two years back, his head was down with shame when the builder of the bridge had raised the concern that the bridge will get eroded soon, because of the illegal mining by some of the senior political persons. Also today at the site of National Highway the blockade in Kathua, regional officers of NHAI highlighted that out of 15 frames of the bridge, only two had remained functional, because other 13 had been eroded by miners and that led to the caving down of the bridge.
The Minister highlighted that this is now the responsibility of the society and of the, elected representatives to check the illegal mining. “It is high time for everyone of us to abide by the pledge to avoid illegal mining and encroachment and move further from the rhetoric of I will not indulge and I can only appeal to others.”
Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted that the Devika project was launched with the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and at the time of launching, he had said that it does not belong to any particular political party or individual. “It’s a matter of faith for the people of Udhampur,” the Minister said and added that any concrete suggestions will be welcome from any person and so also criticism so that we can accordingly make amends which have been done from time to time. He said that in the past there have been cases where complaints have been made against wrongdoers and penal action like black listing of contractor and fines upto Rs 2 crore has been taken.
Reviewing the situation caused by heavy rains, the Minister complimented the district administration, ground workers, police, and civil society for their swift response. He appreciated the timely decision of the administration and police to block the National Highway at vulnerable points and for issuing a red alert in time.
Dr Jitendra Singh was informed that essential services, including road connectivity, power, and water supply, were being restored on top priority.
The Minister was informed that a team from the Airport Authority of India recently visited Udhampur in connection with an airport in the district. Based on the assessment, it was indicated that civil flight operations could potentially commence within a period of 8 to 16 months, subject to the completion of requisite approvals and infrastructure development.
The Minister was informed by the District Administration and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) that restoration of essential services on the National Higway will be done by this evening. He also instructed the DC to prepare a comprehensive plan for funds required to restore and strengthen water infrastructure, reiterating that there is no limitation of funds for such critical works.
Marking National Sports Day on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, Dr. Jitendra Singh announced that from today until the end of October, a series of sporting events will be organised across the district. He was informed by the officials that registrations for competitions will remain open till September 27 through both online and offline modes and the competitions will be held both at Panchayat and Municipal levels.
Earlier, the Union Minister personally visited the on-ground sites at Jakhaini in Udhampur where a bridge collapsed and severe road damages occurred due to the recent spell of heavy rains in the region.
Dr. Jitendra Singh took firsthand stock of the situation, inspecting the damaged bridge and adjoining road infrastructure, which has disr
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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar
