Vigilance begins probe into illegal mining at Mohali

Mohali, November 12

With the Mohali administration failing to check illegal mining in the district, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has started its investigation in this regard on a complaint of residents of the Khizrabad area. 

According to sources, the Vigilance Bureau has started recording the statements of residents, who had lodged a complaint regarding illegal mining on shamlat land at Khizrabad village a couple of years ago. 

Sher Mohammad, one of the complainants, said Vigilance officials summoned him recently and recorded his statement. Sher Mohammad said he, along with his wife Piari Begum, who is a panch of the village, and another resident of the village, had approached the Vigilance Bureau as illegal mining on around 600 acre shamlat land in the village had been going on for the past nearly 10 years.

“A major portion of the shamlat land has been encroached upon by some residents and excavation is on with their connivance,” alleged Sher Mohammad while talking to Chandigarh Tribune.

As part of its investigation into the complaint, the Vigilance Bureau is said to have sought revenue records from the Mohali administration to ascertain the ownership of the land in question. The sources said Vigilance officials had already sent a communique to the administration thrice in this connection, but were yet to get a reply.

Mohali Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Kaur Sapra, who had visited the spot to check illegal mining on July 16, claimed that she was unaware about any such communique having been sent by the Vigilance Bureau. “I have asked my staff to check the Vigilance communique, if any, and make the required documents available to them,” said Sapra. 

The administration has failed to stop illegal excavation in the area. In the recent past, the Mohali Deputy Commissioner had reprimanded mining officials for failing to act in this connection.

After a surprise check of the area on July 16, Sapra had prepared a detailed report in this regard and sent it to the higher authorities in the state government. The reply/directions on the report are awaited by the administration. 

“As the administration has failed to stop the hazard, now all our hopes are on the Vigilance Bureau, which has started its investigation in this regard,” said one of the complainants. — TNS