Tral: Resentment is brewing in Tral area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, as residents raise the alarm over rampant illegal mining that has intensified both during the day and night across several villages of the region. The uncontrolled extraction of sand and gravel from local streams, irrigation canals, and even newly constructed bunds has left the public deeply concerned, not just for the damage to infrastructure, but for the long-term ecological harm being inflicted on the area.
The affected villages, Chandrigam, Dadasar, Auligund, Bugund, Baragam, Lalgam, and Nowdal, have become epicenters of what locals describe as “industrial-scale looting” of natural resources. Streams are being choked, bunds weakened, and irrigation channels mutilated, all while the responsible government machinery appears to be in a state of deep slumber. The situation, many say, has spiraled out of control in the last one month, coinciding with the appointment of a new District Mineral Officer in Pulwama.
Residents, visibly agitated, told Kashmir News Trust that not a single official from the Mineral Department has visited the affected areas for weeks. “The silence of the Mineral Department is shameful. It’s as if they have handed over our streams to contractors,” said a farmer from Auligund whose land now stands threatened by the collapse of an adjacent canal.
What has further inflamed public sentiment is the alleged attempt by officials to suppress any coverage of the crisis. Several local journalists and media persons who tried to highlight the issue claim their calls were blocked by the Mineral Incharge of Tral and other associated officials. This move, many say, is not just unprofessional but a deliberate effort to prevent the truth from reaching the public and the higher-ups.
The unchecked mining, residents fear, is not just destroying government-built infrastructure but also endangering local agriculture and biodiversity. “The water flow has already reduced in some canals. If this continues, our crops will dry, and our streams will vanish,” said another resident from Baragam.
The situation has now reached a point where locals are publicly appealing to higher authorities for intervention. They have urged the Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, and the Geology and Mining Department of J&K to immediately send a fact-finding team, take disciplinary action against negligent officials, and restore public confidence by ensuring the presence of mineral inspectors on the ground. They also demanded that journalists be allowed to report freely without being muzzled.
As illegal mining continues to eat away at Tral’s natural lifelines, the silence of the Mineral Department grows louder—and so does the demand for accountability. Until action is taken, residents say, the very foundations of their environment and livelihoods remain under threat. [KNT]
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