Residents of Kandi area unite to fight illegal mining by crushers
Talwara, April 2
A public meeting was on Tuesday organised at the community hall of Palahad village here by residents facing problems caused by alleged illegal mining being reportedly done by stone crushers operating in Kandi area of Talwara and around.
In the public meeting, former MLA Arun Kumar Micky Dogra, BJP leader Raghunath Rana, pensioners’ leader Shiv Kumar Amrohi, sarpanch Suresh Kumar Tohlu, former sarpanch Jeet Ram Sharma Bringli, Captain Joginder Singh Mangu Maira, Captain Avtar Singh Jandaur Haar, youth BJP leader Ankit Rana, etc, expressed their concern over the destruction of lush green hills in Kandi area by the stone crusher mafia.
The speakers said over half a dozen stone crushers operating in Talwara area belie Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s claims of cracking down on illegal mining in the state. The rampant illegal mining is reportedly being carried out in the Swan river up to the mountains.
Deepak Talwara of the Khanan Roko Zameen Bachao Sangharsh Samiti described illegal mining as a huge scam on the lines of electoral bonds. He asked the Punjab Government to conduct an impartial CBI investigation into the mining going on in the Kandi area.
Former MLA Arun Kumar, alias Micky Dogra, said most of the forest areas in Block Talwara of Kandi area was covered under Section 4 and 5 of the Forest Act. Permission has to be taken from the Forest Department even to take a single piece of wood and even for cremation. At the same time, the owners of more than half a dozen stone crushers operating in Kandi area were uprooting felling trees grown in lush green hills and extracting thousands of tonnes of raw material from the mines every day without allotment of any government quarry. Till now, no action has been taken by the government.
BJP leader Raghunath Rana called upon the people to rise above the party lines and unite for the security of the area. On the occasion, it was also decided to form a 21-member committee against stone crushers and illegal mining taking place in Kandi area. Under it, the future strategy will be made.
On the occasion, those present in the public meeting resolved to fight unitedly against the demolition being done by crushers. The programme was moderated by Sahil Thakur, alias Shavi.
On the occasion, sarpanch Joginder Singh, youth leaders Manoj Dhiman, Neeraj Sharma and Yashpal Batwada, etc, along with dignitaries from nearby villages, sarpanch, panch, environmentallists, social thinkers and people affected by the crushers participated in large numbers.
