U’khand quarrying lobby under scanner for ‘illegal’ poll funding
HALDWANI: With assembly elections in the state only a month away, focus is back on the state’s multi-crore stone quarrying business for allegedly making clandestine political funding in a bid to influence the state election results.
Environmentalists say due to such funding the quarry lobby enjoys a tremendous political clout that granted them “protection” against any violation of environment norms.
Dushyant Mainali, who has been fighting legal battles against the pollution generated by the quarry business, pointed out that guidelines on the stone crushers were changed seven times due to pressure from the influential lobby.
“This shows the money power and clout they enjoy in the state,” he said.
In the alleged sting operation that rocked the state a few months ago, Congress legislator from Dwarahat was heard saying how the quarry lobby from the state’s Terai region allegedly provided money to protect the Harish Rawat led Congress government.
Rawat was accused of bribing 12 dissident state Congress legislators in the to get their support during the trust vote in May last year.
“Many ministers are themselves involved in running quarry business through proxy. A candidate from a seat in Kumaon region runs his own stone crusher”, Mainali alleged.
Observers say Haldwani stone crushers and quarry lobby is the most powerful in the state and it is the major source of funding for the political parties during elections.
The annual turnover of the quarrying done on the Gola river in Haldwani is about ₹400 crore, according to deputy director mining Rajpal Legha.
Bhumesh Agarwal, who is the former president of the Stone Crusher’s Association, however refuted the charges and said that a few quarrying businessmen might be giving funds to the political parties, but the association is not involved in any such activities.
The state will go to polls on February 15.