ADSU cites ecological damage, erosion and risks to water sources and infrastructure.
OUR CORRESPONDENT
HAFLONG: The All Dimasa Students' Union (ADSU), Dima Hasao District Committee, has lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Conservator of Forests, Haflong, seeking immediate action against what it described as illegal and unregulated riverbed mining across the district.
In a representation submitted to the Forest Department, the student body alleged that excessive extraction of sand, gravel, stone and boulders, particularly along the Diyung, Mahur, Langting and Jatinga rivers, was causing serious ecological damage.
The ADSU alleged that the use of heavy mechanised excavators inside active river channels was destabilising riverbanks, accelerating soil erosion and posing risks to infrastructure, including NH-27 and railway lines. It also expressed concern over the destruction of aquatic habitats and breeding grounds of native fish species.
The organisation further claimed that indiscriminate deep mining was affecting groundwater levels and disrupting gravity-fed drinking water sources in rural areas, thereby affecting communities dependent on rivers for fishing, agriculture and household water requirements.
Referring to existing mining and environmental regulations, the ADSU said unregulated commercial extraction must be checked, particularly in an ecologically fragile hill district.
The student body has demanded an immediate cease-and-desist order against non-compliant mining sites and the seizure of unauthorised heavy machinery operating in river channels.
It also sought a joint ground inspection involving the Forest Department, DHAC Revenue and Forest officials, the district civil administration, ecological experts and student representatives to assess the extent of riverbed mining and environmental damage.
The ADSU further demanded strict action against operators and quarry owners allegedly functioning without approved mining plans, valid leases or environmental clearances, and called for the identification of critical river bends, bridge buffers, erosion-prone areas and ecologically sensitive stretches as no-mining zones.
The organisation has given the authorities 15 days to initiate visible field-level action, failing which it said it would consider democratic mass agitation and approach the National Green Tribunal's Eastern Zone Bench for judicial intervention.
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