Amritsar Police to form teams to check illegal mining

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 8

The Amritsar rural police nabbed as many as 12 persons indulging in illegal sand mining near the Ravi banks recently. The police have also appealed to residents to inform the police of any illegal activity.

Illegal sand mining is a bane of rural belt of Ajnala and Ramdass. Thanks to the political patronage the illegal miners enjoy, the illegal mining is causing a damage to the environment as big gorges have formed on the river banks.

The sand mafia has been so strong in the belt that a 60-year-old man lost his life when he opposed illegal mining near his land in March this year.

Now, in order to check the illegal sand digging, the police have claimed to have installed seven permanent checkpoints near second line of defence, besides Daburji, Chabba, Bohru, Rajasansi, Dariya Mussa and main chowk Ajnala that cover areas of Ajnala, Lopoke, Chatiwind, Rajasansi and Ramdass.

Vikram Jeet Duggal, SSP, rural police, said five cops had been deputed at these checkpoints round the clock. The police had recently arrested 12 persons involved in illegal mining and registered 20 cases in this connection. Out of these, the Lopoke police had registered 13 cases and the Ajnala police four, the SSP added.

He said a plan was being chalked out with the mining department to form teams to check the menace. He urged the people to share information with the police about illegal miners so that appropriate action could be taken against them.