KNZ CORRESPONDENT
Ganderbal: Allegations of large-scale violations have surfaced in the removal of riverbed material from the Sumbal headworks under USHP-II, Kangan, with locals accusing the contractor of flouting the District Mineral Officer (DMO) order, extracting material far beyond the sanctioned limit, and causing a significant loss to the government exchequer.
As per the DMO’s order, permission was granted for lifting only 2300 cubic metres (5000 mts aprox.) of riverbed material, under strict conditions, including limited machinery use, controlled extraction, and departmental supervision to verify quantity and compliance. However, locals alleged that on the ground the contractor has excavated thousands of cubic metres extra, far exceeding the approved quantity.
Residents further alleged that tippers with an approved capacity of around 7 mts were routinely overloaded with nearly 10 to 12 mts, enabling rapid and illegal removal of material. They also claimed that despite the order permitting only one L&T/JCB machine at a time, multiple heavy machines were allegedly deployed simultaneously at the site.
While the PDC department had identified an authorized dumping site, residents said the contractor illegally used another site outside the designated area. “If additional land was required for dumping, prior permission should have been sought from the office,” locals stated, alleging that the unauthorized dumping effectively amounts to illegal sale or disposal.
Locals said that although some employees were present at the site, no authorised official was deputed to physically measure, verify, or record the quantity of material being excavated and transported. This lack of effective monitoring, they alleged, has allowed unchecked extraction and resulted in a direct revenue loss to the state exchequer.
The residents pointed out that while the PDC department had tendered the work, the contractor allegedly went far beyond the scope of the approved order. They further alleged that repeated complaints to various departments yielded no concrete response, forcing them to seek higher-level intervention.
When contacted, the District Mineral Officer (DMO), Ganderbal, clarified that the PDC department had approached the DMO office, and that the role of the Mining Department was limited to assessment and collection of royalty only. The DMO stated that on-site supervision and execution were the responsibility of the PDC department, including deployment of supervisors to ensure compliance with the sanctioned quantity and conditions.
In an attempt to seek clarification from the executing agency, this correspondent contacted the XEN, PDC, who stated that she has been transferred from Kangan and advised to contact the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) concerned. However, repeated attempts to reach the AEE over phone elicited no response, further fuelling concerns over administrative apathy and lack of accountability.
In light of the serious allegations and conflicting responsibilities, locals have appealed to the Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal to personally intervene, order a joint inspection by Mining, PDC, Revenue, Transport and Police departments, and conduct a scientific measurement of the actual quantity excavated.
They have demanded strict action against the contractor if violations are established, and fixation of accountability on officials responsible for supervision, warning that continued inaction could cause irreversible environmental damage, infrastructure risk, and erosion of public trust in governance.
