Five booked, 2 held for mining sand in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 6

The district administration as well as the Police Department have miserably failed in curbing sand mining in the rural belt if the Friday’s seizure is anything to go by.

On Friday, the police had registered four separate cases of sand mining with two cases each in Majitha and Ajnala police stations. Two persons were arrested and two tractor-trailers loaded with 500 square feet sand each were also seized.

Those arrested were identified as Sukhdev Singh of Dharamkot Pattan village in Dera Baba Nanak and Rashpal Singh of Khanoval village, who were intercepted at Nangal Punnuan and Sohian Kalan village, respectively.

ASI Kuldeep Singh of the Majitha police station said the police got a tip-off that accused Rashpal Singh was involved in mining sand at the Ravi riverbed at Kot Rai Pattan village and Gaggomahal village. He was going to sell the same via Sohian Kalan village after passing through different villages in Majitha. The police set up a check-point at Sohian Kalan village and arrested the accused.

Similarly, Sukhdev Singh was arrested from Nangal Pannun village following a tip-off. The Ajnala police have also booked Kashmir Singh and Mahinder Singh of Khanwal village and Bachan Singh of Sahowal village after the Mining Department officials found mining being done illegally from the lands owned by them. The police said mining officers along with the police parties visited Khanwal and Sahowal village and found mining being done at different places. Though no machinery was found, they came to know that the owners of the land were involved in illegal excavation at night. Therefore, the complaints were lodged with the police.

Those residing in the villages along the Ravi river belt pointed that the illegal excavation was more rampant than it appeared. They said the patronage of political leaders irrespective of any political affiliations to the offenders and inefficacy of the police and district administration was leading to the plundering of natural resources.