10 JCB machines, 7 tippers seized

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 4

In an early morning swoop Kangra police cracked down on illegal mining operations being carried out in Chaki river on the Punjab-Himachal border in Nurpur sub division. Sources here said that police confiscated 10 JCB machines and 7 tippers that were being used in illegal mining operations. Cases under Mine and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act 1957 of Himachal have been registered against those involved in illegal mining.

SP Kangra Sanjeev Gandhi said that they had written to Deputy Commissioner Pathankot that no mining should be allowed on the un-demarcated border of Punjab and Himachal. “We had been receiving complaints from local farmers that their lands were getting damaged due to illegal mining in the area. Today morning we carried out raids and confiscated JCBs and tippers being used in illegal mining operations. The SP Pathankot was also called on the spot to ensure coordination between police of both states in checking the illegal mining operations”, he said.

Though the SP denied, sources here said that there was tiff between police officials of Punjab and Himachal over the raids and confiscation of JCB machines and tippers. Some the JCB machines that were carrying out illegal operations belonged to people of Punjab.

Chaki river had been infamous for illegal mining. About 200 stone crushers of Himachal and an equal number in Punjab region were operating in Chaki rover. The rampant illegal mining has destroyed the ecology of the river. There was no aquatic life left in the river and its bed at places the riverbed had gone down by about 20 to 30 feet.

Many government department including the IPH, PWD, Indian Air Force and the Railways have been writing to both Himachal and Punjab government that their infrastructure was getting damaged due to illegal mining in Chaki river. The road bridge connecting Kangra district of Himachal with Pathankot district of Himachal and a railway bridge were earlier damaged allegedly due to illegal mining in Chaki river.

The state government in the recent past also established the office of mining officer in Nurpur area to control illegal mining along the Punjab Himachal border.

Law enforcing authorities said that the week Mines and Mineral Act was not acting as a deterrent for the people involved in illegal mining. As per provisions of the Act the police had to release impounded JCBs and tipper after imposing a maximum fine of Rs 25,000. This amount was peanuts for the people involved in the trade. The Kangra police had also written to the state government that illegal mining should be made a cognizable offence and vehicles impounded should be released only through the court of law as in the case of Forest Act cases.