DCs of Pulwama and Budgam also accompanied the team
Srinagar April 7: A joint team constituted by National Green Tribunal-NGT comprising of senior officials of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change MoEF and Central Pollution Control Board-CPCB along with Deputy Commissioners of Pulwama and Budgam on Tuesday visited Zadoora Pulwama and Rangeen Kultreh villages in Chadoora Budgam to make assessment of illegal Earth Mining in these areas.
The team had come on the orders of NGT where a petition was moved by Environmental Activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat early this year. The joint team met the local aggrieved orchardists of Zadoora Pulwama , Rangeen Kultreh, Gowherpora ,local villagers and the petitioner Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat. The officials of Revenue, Mining , Pollution Control Committee, Police were present on the occasion . Locals demanded action to be taken against the illegal mafia especially the NKC Projects Pvt Ltd who looted these areas for the last 2 to 3 years . The locals also demanded compensation payment to local panchayats and restoration of damaged sites with proper landscaping. DC Pulwama Dr Basharat Qayoom who has been designated as the coordinating officer by NGT in this case also agreed in person that damaged sites in Zadoora would be restored and affected people , orchardists adequately compensated. After visiting Zadoora Pulwama the team visited Rangeen Kultreh and Gowherpora villages in Chadoora Budgam. Deputy Commissioner Budgam Athar Amir Khan, SDM Chadoora , DMO Budgam and other senior officers were also present on the site. DC Budgam assured that mining sites would be restored and affected people compensated. He directed the DMO Budgam to stop giving any kind of permissions for earth mining.
Taking serious note of a petition highlighting extensive earth extraction across the plateau-like Karewas, the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal on February 6th this year had ordered officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and district administrations of Pulwama and Budgam to conduct a detailed site inspection and submit a report within ten weeks.
The case was heard on February 6 by a bench led by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Srivastava and Expert Member A Senthil Vel. The tribunal observed that the allegations pointed to serious environmental violations and warranted immediate on-ground verification.
According to submissions made before the tribunal, illegal mining operations in villages including Zadoora and Rangeen Kultreh in Pulwama, and areas of Chadoora in Budgam, have allegedly damaged nearly 1,000 kanals of Karewa and orchard land. Counsel for the applicant presented geotagged photographs, lists of affected farmers, and official documents obtained through the Right to Information Act to demonstrate the scale of extraction.
It was argued that heavy machinery such as hydraulic excavators and JCBs were deployed to extract clay, sand and bajri without mandatory environmental clearances, consent to operate, or legally sanctioned mining leases. The petition also cited violations of the Jammu and Kashmir Minor Minerals Concession Rules, 2016, and the Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines.
The tribunal, while issuing notices to the respondents, directed the joint committee to determine the extent of illegal mining, quantify the material extracted, identify those responsible, review the status of environmental clearances, and recommend remedial and punitive measures.
The bench also referred to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Deepak Kumar versus State of Haryana, which mandates environmental clearance even for minor mineral leases below five hectares, emphasising that unregulated sand mining can destabilise soil, damage biodiversity and cause long-term ecological harm.The case is listed for further hearing on May 18, 2026.
