Members of Khanan Chugan Sangharsh Samiti and Haridwar stone crushers welfare association were barred by the authorities from reaching Sati kund area, the proposed site of protest on Monday afternoon. Consequently, they staged protest at Jagjeetpur village which also houses the Matri Sadan ashram.
The members led by the legislator from Haridwar rural Yateeshwaranand submitted a memorandum to the city magistrate demanding resumption of quarrying on the Ganga riverbed.
Speaking to The Pioneer, the association head Nishant Bhairo said, “For the past 25 days we have been protesting. We have stopped our production, sale and purchase. Mining is allowed in the whole state so under a uniformed policy, the quarrying activities should also be allowed in some parts of Haridwar like Bishenpur and Bhogpur villages in laksar,” he said.
Targetting Shivananda he said, “He always sits on hunger strike demanding blanket ban on mining which provides employment to nearly 2 lakh people so manual quarrying should be allowed.” City magistrate Jai Bharat Singh assured them that a decision would be taken within this week on their demands.