Absence of construction material affects govt and private works in J&K: Shaheen 

Srinagar: GM Shaheen Party President JD(U) slammed Govt today that ban on mining across J&K, and non-availability of construction material has taken a hit on the Government as well as private works across Kashmir and those who manage to get the minerals are being sold at exorbitant rates, Shaheen said. Shaheen said , the ‘unexpected’ move has affected not only the contractors but also the labourers who are working at the mining sites and the construction sites across J&K and particularly Kashmir. As per estimates, as many as 30,000 contractors across J&K are facing the brunt due to the non-availability of the construction material, Shaheen said. Shaheen said Apart from that, as many as six lakh laborers-which include truckers, as well-who are directly or indirectly associated with such works, have also been affected across J&K. Shaheen said people have not been able to earn anything in comparison to what they used to, the ban has pushed the labourers more towards the hardships than bringing us any respite to them  In Srinagar, the sand is being sold between Rs 11,000 to Rs 13,000 when it was being sold for Rs 5000-6000 in 2019 before revocation of Article 370. Similarly, the stones are being sold for Rs 6000 to Rs 7000 when they were being sold for Rs 3000 and gravel for Rs 10,000 to 11,000 when its rates were Rs 5000 to Rs 6000.Shaheen said  that even if any supplier manages to get the construction material somehow, the police as well as the personnel of Geology and Mining nab them and impose heavy fines.“On one side, the Government is issuing tenders and at the same time, people facing tremendous hardships due to the non-availability of the raw material; those suppliers that can supply the material are fearful of getting caught while others state categorically that they do not have any supply of raw material due to the ban Shaheen said