Two precious lives were lost in Drangbal-Baramulla the other day. Both were hit by the stones, while working for the quarry owner. Yes, off course both the slain were working to earn a livelihood.
But earning a livelihood in no way warrant anybody to compromise on his or her life.
Except for the army or other security forces personnel, all other sectors where you can work and fetch a living in a society are comparatively considered to be safe for human lives.
Unfortunately, despite consuming so many lives especially in district Baramulla where stone quarrying provides jobs to hundreds of families directly or indirectly, the government has never acted tough on regulating this sector to prevent further loss of life.
This failure of the administration has assumed more significance in view of the high court directions by virtue of which the government was asked to go for strict regulatory mechanism to be implemented on stone quarrying across Kashmir so as to not only protect the fragile environment but also protect the human lives from being perished in search of their livelihood.
It is high time that the department of geology and mining acts swiftly on the high court directions and enforce the relevant regulations on these quarrying in Kashmir. This will not only be a step towards protection of the environment but shall also make the quarry owners accountable for rye safety and welfare measures of the labourers who work on these quarries.
