Silchar: The All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU) has raised concerns over alleged illegal and unregulated riverbed mining across Dima Hasao district, claiming that indiscriminate extraction of sand, gravel, stones and boulders has been damaging the environment and threatening water security, infrastructure and tribal livelihoods.In a memorandum submitted to chief conservator of forests in Haflong, ADSU’s Dima Hasao district committee alleged that excessive mining was taking place in the Diyung, Mahur, Langting and Jatinga rivers and streams.The students’ body claimed that heavy excavators were being used inside active river channels, destabilising riverbanks and accelerating erosion during the monsoon. It warned that the activity could endanger infrastructure, including NH-27 and railway lines, and increase risks of landslides near residential areas.Citing the Assam Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2013, a 2012 Supreme Court judgment and National Green Tribunal guidelines, the union sought an immediate halt to mining without requisite approvals and environmental clearances.It also demanded seizure of unauthorised excavators, a joint inspection by relevant authorities and ecological experts, prosecution of violators and demarcation of no-mining zones near bridges, river bends, erosion-prone areas and ecologically sensitive stretches.
