Raja Syed Rather
Ganderbal, Jun 10: Illegal extraction of sand is going unchecked at several places in Ganderbal with people alleging authorities are turning a blind eye towards the grave issue.
The illegal unabated mining is posing a grave threat to residents spread over several villages in Ganderbal. The areas which are mainly affected include Shalabug, Sehpora, Kurag, Devpora and Wakoora.
The sand mafia has either encroached upon state land or have lured some agricultural land owners and paid them money for digging their fields to extract sand for excavation purposes.
The entire fertile land in these villages has been now converted into big ponds with 15 to 20 feet depth which have even become the death trap for people.
This illegal action is also a grave threat to flora and fauna in the area as well as adds to environmental degradation as ponds of water have spread over huge areas of land over the years.
