No let-up in illegal mining in Mohali villages

Mohali, November 20

While the Mohali administration claims to have become proactive against illegal mining, there is no stopping the hazard in the area.

Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu admitted that illegal excavation was on with impunity in the area. “Earlier, miners were active in the Khizrabad-Mianpur Changar area and now they have shifted their focus to Salempura and Saini Majra villages near Kurali,” said the AAP MLA.

Sandhu, who also wrote to Mohali Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Kaur Sapra to seek her intervention in the matter, said illegal mining was on in broad daylight in the area without any fear of law.

“When I reached Salempura and Saini Majra, I was shocked to see the extent of damage caused by illegal mining in the agricultural and barren land there. At one place, when I went to talk to the miners, the tipper operators and JCB operators left their machines and vehicles and ran away,” said Sandhu. He said illegal mining in the area had caused craters as deep as 10 to 15 ft.

The illegal mining has caused great tension in villages around the area, including Akalgarh and Rattangarh Simbal. Residents of the area complained that JCB machines and tippers were a big nuisance, resulting in road accidents and heavy damage to link roads. The MLA, who asked the Mohali DC to take immediate steps to check the hazard, alleged that two local leaders of the ruling party in the state were involved in the illegal act.

Slams decision to scrap UT Metro project

Miffed over the recent decision of the Union Home Minister’s Advisory Committee to scrap the Metro rail project in the UT, Sandhu termed the decision "mindless" and "uncalled for".

He said the decision would impact not only residents of Chandigarh but also those of neighbouring towns, including Mohali, Kharar, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Kalka and New Chandigarh.

“The Metro rail project is the only solution to save Chandigarh and neighbouring towns from being choked in the coming years. Moreover, lakhs of rupees have been spent on several works, including surveys, soil testing and other things, in this regard and now all of sudden you wake up to realise that the project is not feasible for the area. This is ridiculous,” said Sandhu. — TNS