In a hard hitting editorial, The New York Times has held an unholy nexus between corrupt official’s and sand miners responsible for the tragedy in Beas River, where the life of 24 budding engineers was snuffed out by what was a man made accident.
The editorial in today’s paper opines that the nexus between the sand mafia and the officials was the reason for the untimely release of water for (Largi) dam as it was meant to deposit sand on the banks and river bed for the benefit of illegal sand miners.
The sudden rise in water levels washed away the student engineers from Hyderabad, who were out visiting Kullu-Manali for a college outing.
The paper also mentions the video footage shot accidently by a local filmmakers that has been watched by thousands on YouTube
Despite warnings from the UN Environment Program that unregulated mining will damage rivers and delicate marine ecosystems’, the illegal activities go on unprecedented.
The NY Times has also commented that a recent order from the Supreme Court, which had made it mandatory to get clearances from the Ministry of Environment and Forests before undertaking any small or large scale mining, was being ignored at all levels.
Bon vivant, writer extraordinaire.
