Awantipora residents protest ban on stone quarries
Demand intervention of LG, DC Pulwama to revoke ban
Awantipora: Scores of stone quarry workers on Monday staged a peaceful protest at Bowa village Awantipora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district against the ban on stone mining since the past three months.
The protesting quarry workers were demanding intervention of LG and DC Pulwama for granting permission to start quarrying activities.
The protesters holding placards and banners demanded revocation of the ban on stone quarrying activities.
They shouted slogans demanding justice and revocation of the ban on stone excavation by the government.
The stone quarry activity was stopped in the area three months back rendering hundreds of people jobless, the workers alleged.
“The move of the authorities had left us jobless and compelled our families to starve. Authorities rendered us jobless as for decades we have been associated with this work. “Now what new trade or work can we learn at this age sp that we can earn a livelihood,” Shakeel Ahmad, a 70 year old protester said.
“Our livelihood is being snatched. We all learn hand to mouth, and if the ban persists, where will we go? How would we feed our families?” asked another worker.
Locals said that they have been doing this work for generations and had been earning their bread and butter from it, but the ban on quarrying has brought them on the brink of starvation.
They said that the skill of stone quarrying which had been passed on from generation to generation had now been threatened and that they were forced to take other jobs wherein they lacked the skill.
“We have been visiting office of concerned DMO and DC Pulwama who assure us that they will be allowed to work within few days but now three months have passed and nothing has been done,” they added.
“Despite giving royalty to the department and having already completed all the documentary work authorities are still not allowing us to work,” they added.
The protestors later appealed the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and DC Pulwama to listen to their genuine demands and lift the ban on stone quarrying activity in Awantipora.
