Hello,
Kashmir's clean air fight sputters. Behind this long-drawn tussle is a dogged ex-MP on one end and the Environment ministry on the other. For over three years, residents in Kashmir’s cement manufacturing Khrew-Khonmoh belt were plagued by respiratory issues, potentially linked to factory pollution. And, even after complaints, the government dragged its feet.
Former parliamentarian Hasnain Masoodi's push for action yielded a damning report: factories blatantly flouted environmental laws. Despite this, residents continue to breathe polluted air, highlighting the gap between government assurances in Parliament and concrete action.
It took the government years to even admit there was a problem! And even then, the study that was conducted tried to blame residents for using firewood for heat and burning of agricultural waste, instead of the real culprits – the polluting factories!
The good news? A report finally exposed these factories for violating environmental laws.
The bad news? Not much has changed. Masoodi’s relentless efforts, including multiple letters and interventions in the Lok Sabha, didn’t really bring relief to the citizens. The people of Anantnag are still stuck breathing dirty air.
Governments are great at talking the talk on environmental safety and public health, but their actions often fall short. This case in Kashmir shows how. To find out more about what went down, read Part 7 of our series.
If you’ve missed out on our past stories, you can read them here.