Dr Srinagar, Nov 25: Congress leader and Media Coordinator Kashmir Dr. Audil Farooq Mir Lasjan on Monday said that the limestone auction must prioritise J&K’s interests and that the natural resources should first serve the locals.
In a statement issued here, Dr Audil asserted that any mineral bidding in J&K must be rooted in J&K's interests, structured to secure the region's economic future, protect its land and ensure that benefits flow directly to local communities rather than to outside corporations with no obligation to handhold local aspirations.
"The resources of J&K must first benefit the people of J&K," Dr. Audil declared, emphasizing that limestone deposits across Anantnag, Rajouri and Poonch are not merely industrial commodities but form the economic backbone of local households.
He warned against a bidding framework that opens the door to external monopolies that extract wealth while locals remain jobless, district economies stay stagnant and J&K earns negligible value from its own natural reserves.
Dr. Audil pointed to 2019 e-auction conducted when the internet was blocked as a stark reminder of what happens when transparency is replaced with unilateralism. That process unleashed unchecked mining across J&K, eroding fragile ecosystems, enabling open loot and allowing powerful players to siphon off economic value without scrutiny.
"The people of J&K bore the environmental, social and economic costs of decisions taken without their voice or consent," he stated, citing areas like Athwajan and Panthachowk of Lal Chowk Assembly segment that have been pushed into prolonged limbo due to abrupt and unclear directives, leaving thousands of local households in dire conditions despite being directly dependent on mining for their livelihood.
He stressed that “at least eighty percent of downstream value addition must stay within J&K, from crushing and processing to transport and supply chains.”
Dr. Audil noted that no block should be awarded to any bidder without local presence, credible CSR commitments and proven environmental responsibility.
He said environmental impact disclosure must be strict and community consent at district and panchayat levels must be treated as fundamental. Moreover, he called for “clear rules on mine closure, protection of water sources and a guaranteed share of royalties for district development funds in Anantnag, Rajouri and Poonch.”
"J&K cannot be reduced to a raw material colony, as it has increasingly been treated post-2019," Dr. Audil warned.
"If the Union Government intends to auction J&K's resources, then J&K must be the first beneficiary, not the last."
He noted that the Centre's reliance on Sections 11(4) and 11(5) of the MMDR Act to conduct auctions on grounds of "procedural hurdles" only reinforces what Congress has consistently maintained: that without full statehood, J&K's resources remain deprived of democratic protection.
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