Mining ban leads to rise in unemployment in Kumaon

Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, April 1

The Uttarakhand Government has decided to move the Supreme Court to file a special review petition on the High Court’s order of banning mining activities in the state as migrants labourers from eastern and other parts of UP have started going towards other places to find work.

“ We used to save over Rs 20,000 in six months time from December to June in Sharda belt of mining in Champawat district but due to only three months work this year and uncertainty of future, we will have to move towards Delhi to find other work for our livelihood,” said Nanhe Lal, a mining labourer from Lakhimpur Khiri district of UP.

Another labourer in Sharda mining belt at Tanakpur said he is working in stone mining from last 20 years but has seen such uncertainty first time in last 20 years. “I have four members in my family dependent on mining work, after it ceased from last four days, we have reached near to face crisis of food due to absence of daily payment from contactor on that we depend for our livelihood,” said Ram Chela, resident of Hardoi district in UP.

Meanwhile, officers have increased raids on illegal mining and stone crushers as well as stone stockers in Tanakpur, Banbasa, Chanlthi, Madkot and Gaula bed of mining. “We have seized the stocks of eight stockiest in Chalthi region of Champawat district, who failed to show permission either of running stone crusher or stocking the building material,” said Seema Vishvakarma, SDM of Champawat district.

Meanwhile, construction of private houses and completion of running government projects has gone difficult as building material has gone costlier due to banning of mining and seizing of illegal stocks at Gaula, Tanakpur and Ramnagar beds besides river beds in Pithoragarh, Champawat and Nainital districts. “While the legal stockers have increased the rates of building material at Rs 15 per quintal, the stone crushers have raised their rates from Rs 5 to Rs 10 per quintal,” said Bhim Meher, a building material supplier at Gaula in Haldwani.