Matra Sadan seer’s protest from Nov 5

Tribune News Service

Haridwar October 31

Matra Sadan founder and Ganga activist Swami Shivanand Saraswati today warned of another agitation from next month if illegal quarrying was not stopped in the Ganga and its sub-tributaries.

At Matra Sadan ashram, Swami Shivanand Saraswati said from November 5, he would stage an indefinite agitation if the state government and local administration failed to rein in illegal quarrying as for the past month, illegal mining was being carried out in the Ganga river in the district.

“Despite assurance, the district administration and state government have failed to rein in illegal quarrying going on on the riverbed on large scale. From Bhogpur, Bishanpur to Shyampur and Kangri, dozens of JCB machines, tractors, trolleys and trucks are operating day and night. This is when quarrying is prohibited temporarily in the state, this can’t be without the nexus between some administrative officials, ministers and illegal quarrying mafia,” said Swami Shivanand.

He said even stone crushers were operating on a regular basis, which itself pointed to the fact that they were receiving quarrying material in abundance. When quarrying was banned for the past few months, how these stone crushers were operating, remarked Shivanand.