The recent cabinet reshuffle in Jammu & Kashmir led to a chaos in National Conference. Many MLAs openly raised their voice for not being inducted into the cabinet. There were some genuine concerns and I wrote a piece as well on the issue. With the reshuffle I see some hope as well. MrJaved Ahmad Dar Agriculture Production Minister has been given the charge of the Mining Ministry. I believe he is concerned about Kashmir’s deteriorating environment and understands its negative impacts. As someone who has been raising serious concerns about illegal earth mining in Karewas and mountain zones and the plunder of our rivers and streams to illegally excavate sand , gravel and boulders illegally , I see some hope now. I believe MrJaved Dar has better understanding of how illegal excavation in our mountain zones and rivers destroys our environment and biodiversity. In this piece I am suggesting how to restore damaged Karewa sites which will also pave way for obtaining clay through legal means. I will separately write about riverbed mining and suggest how to curb it, along with proposing ways and means to obtain sand and gravel from alternate sources other than rivers / streams 

RECLAIMING KAREWASProtecting untouched Karewas& reclaiming damaged sites is of utmost importance. This will pave way to get clay through legal means and help restore plundered sites also plus Govt can generate lot of revenue as well.   The Mining Minister must ensure to make a distinction between already degraded Karewa sites and undisturbed locations and seek full details on it. No fresh excavation should be permitted in ecologically sensitive, agricultural or horticulturally productive Karewa land. In these areas we can in fact create a lot of apple orchards that will generate huge income for our rural population. The saffron fields, orchards, agricultural land must receive special protection and Illegal........

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