{"id":6312,"date":"2025-12-08T19:25:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/?p=6312"},"modified":"2025-12-08T19:25:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:25:26","slug":"police-intensify-crackdown-on-illegal-mining-to-protect-env-river-ecosystems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/2025\/12\/08\/police-intensify-crackdown-on-illegal-mining-to-protect-env-river-ecosystems\/","title":{"rendered":"Police intensify crackdown on illegal mining to protect env, river ecosystems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seize hundreds of vehicles; many arrested; action widely hailed<\/strong><\/p>\n

Srinagar, Dec 08: Jammu & Kashmir Police have intensified the crackdown against illegal mining across the Union Territory, seizing hundreds of trucks, dumpers, tractors and JCB machines over the past several weeks.<\/p>\n

Dozens of people involved in the unlawful extraction and transportation of minerals have also been arrested across the Valley.<\/p>\n

An official from the Department of Geology and Mining, Jammu and Kashmir, told the news agency\u2014Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that the sustained enforcement drive comes amid growing concerns over environmental degradation and riverbank erosion caused by unregulated mining, particularly along the Jhelum and its tributaries.<\/p>\n

He said the continuous sand and boulder excavation has altered natural flow channels, disturbed aquatic habitats and weakened protective embankments across several districts.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, independent weather forecaster Faizan Arif Keng hailed the ongoing police action, calling it \u201ca much-needed step to protect Kashmir\u2019s fragile river ecosystems\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sincerely appreciate the efforts of the J&K Police and the Government for taking firm action to curb illegal mining, which causes severe damage to our environment and river systems,\u201d Faizan told *KNO. \u201cThese mining mafias weaken riverbanks and protective bunds, often leading to breaches that flood entire villages during heavy rainfall. They are a serious menace to society and a direct threat to public safety.”<\/p>\n

Faizan further cautioned that with the active weather systems expected in the coming weeks, areas near river channels and canyons could face increased flood threats if illegal extraction continues unchecked. \u201cPeople must remain vigilant, report such activities and cooperate with authorities. Silence today can lead to disaster tomorrow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

An environmental activist, Suhaib, termed the drive as \u201ccrucial to saving Kashmir\u2019s fragile rivers and wetlands\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnregulated mining not only destroys aquatic habitats but also threatens community safety during heavy rainfall,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Residents in south Kashmir\u2019s Pulwama and Shopian districts, like in several other areas, echoed similar concerns, saying unchecked mining in the region has already changed river courses and damaged nearby farmland.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, these mining operations went unchecked. Trucks would load boulders from the river even at night. It has weakened the embankments and affected our land,\u201d said a local resident. \u201cWe finally see some serious action and hope this drive continues without political interference.”<\/p>\n

Environmentalists, locals and weather experts have urged the administration to sustain the ongoing crackdown with the same momentum and ensure long-term monitoring to safeguard Kashmir\u2019s fragile waterways and flood-control infrastructure. They appealed for increased enforcement in areas like Srinagar, where the issue remains widespread. (KNO)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seize hundreds of vehicles; many arrested; action widely hailed Srinagar, Dec 08: Jammu & Kashmir Police have intensified the crackdown against illegal mining across the Union Territory, seizing hundreds of trucks, dumpers, tractors and JCB machines over the past several weeks. Dozens of people involved in the unlawful extraction and transportation of minerals have also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news","category-kt-front"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6312"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6315,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6312\/revisions\/6315"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}