Illegal sand mining in Ravi weakened dhussi bundhs, villagers tell Union minister Chouhan

The issue of illegal sand mining in the Ravi river was prominently raised during the visit of Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Thursday.

He was accompanied by prominent BJP leaders including Union Minister for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, state president Sunil Jakhar and senior party leader Tarun Chugh during the visit.

Farmers alleged that illegal sand mining along the Dhussi Bundhs (earthen embankments) weakened them leading to the worsening of the situation. They alleged that the sudden flow of water from the dams following rain in the catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir resulted in a breach in these embankments, resulting in floods.

The entire crop was devastated and hundreds of villages were marooned because of the flood waters.

Sarpanch Prithipal Singh of the ruling AAP urged the Union Minister to strengthen the embankments.

Baljit Singh of Araiya village told the Union Minister that the area was affected during the floods in 1988, 1994, 1995 and 2023 as well but it has caused more damage this time than on earlier occasions.

“The ministers and political leaders would meet you. But please visit the farmers who would tell you about the ground realities,” Baljit Singh told the Union Minister who said that is why he had personally come to visit the affected areas.

BJP leader Amarpal Singh Bony Ajnala alleged that illegal sand mining has continued unabated under the influence of AAP leaders while sparing no thought for repairing the Dhussi Bundhs which were weakened because of this. Also, no de-silting was done in the past 10 years leading to the tragedy this year.