A written reply tabled in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday revealed that 31 stone crusher units operating across the Union Territory are directly or indirectly linked to politicians, their relatives and certain bureaucrats.
The disclosure came in response to a question raised by BJP MLA Dr. Narinder Singh Raina, seeking details of crusher units with political and bureaucratic connections. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary provided the information in the Assembly through an official written reply.
According to the government’s response, the 31 crusher units are spread across 11 districts. Most are currently marked as “functional”, while a few have been categorized as “seasonal”.
As per the list attached with the reply, one crusher unit is owned by BJP MP from Jammu, Jugal Kishore, while another is owned by his brother Nand Kishore. The son of senior BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma, Ankush Sharma, is shown as a partner in four crusher units. The name of BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa also appears in the list.
Among others mentioned is Gurdeep Singh Khalsa, BJP district president of Poonch, and the brother of BJP MLA Pawan Gupta. The list also includes four crusher units owned by a brother of Yougal Kumar Sharma, a former Congress minister.
District-wise, the highest number of such crusher units — eight — are located in Jammu district, followed by six in Kathua, four each in Udhampur and Poonch, three in Reasi, and one each in Samba, Rajouri, Kishtwar, Ramban, Ganderbal and Kupwara. Two of the crusher units are located in Kashmir.
In the same reply, the government informed the House that 48 stone crushers have been sealed or closed across nine districts for violations. The action was taken by District Administrations, the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC), and in some cases under court directions, as part of enforcement against environmental and regulatory violations.
Providing district-wise data, the government stated that Pulwama accounts for the highest number of sealed units at 28, followed by Poonch with seven and Reasi with four. Two units each were sealed in Jammu, Ramban and Udhampur, while one unit each was closed in Kishtwar, Rajouri and Kupwara.
The government, however, clarified that none of the sealed crusher units is currently involved in illegal mining activities, despite being shut for regulatory violations.