Crush mining mafia

Objections by Gurcharan Singh and his son to sand quarrying being done stealthily in the dead of night on a piece of shamlat land in Lalru, Punjab, cost him his life as the 60-year-old was brazenly run over by the tractor-trailer driven by the accused, even as the son managed to evade the deadly onslaught. Illegal miners of sand, gravel and rocks have been running amok in the region as the deep nexus between politicians, officials and the mining mafia emboldens them to intimidate anyone — cops, mining and transport officials, environment activists and, in the present instance, locals — who comes in the way of their open plunder of the depleting precious resources. In July last year, Deputy Superintendent of Police Surender Singh was mowed down by a dumper in broad daylight in Nuh area of Haryana when he tried to stop the nefarious practice.

The prompt arrest of the accused in the two cases is hardly a deterrent as the kingpins remain protected by the well-oiled corrupt system wherein the illicit spoils of lucrative mining are shared with politicians and officials. The criminal activity is flourishing despite orders by the courts and the NGT to regulate the mining of sand, gravel and rocks. Notably, sand mining had become a major issue in the run-up to the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections when the Enforcement Directorate recovered Rs 10 crore in cash, besides gold and other valuables, during raids on the offices and residential premises of the then Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey in connection with illegal quarrying.

The Gurcharan murder should jolt the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, which had won by a thumping majority and formed the government in Punjab nearly a year ago after ousting the Congress, into delivering on its big pre-poll promise to the electorate — putting an end to this illegal activity by using remote surveillance to keep an eye on the mining sites and crack down on the mining mafia. At the same time, it should accord priority to exploring the possibility of using alternatives to sand in the construction sector, such as crop residue and municipal waste.

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