13,998 MT of illegal mining stock found at Yamunanagar plant
Shiv Kumar Sharma
Yamunanagar, June 14
The crackdown against the mining mafia notwithstanding, illegal excavation of boulders, gravel, sand and gatka continues unabated in Haryana’s Yamunanagar district. A team of the Mines and Geology Department has found an alleged illegal stock of 13,998.4 MT of mining minerals at a screening plant at Kanalsi village in the district.
Only 1.6 MT in books
- Huge illegal stock found during an inspection at a screening plant in Kanalsi village
- Plant’s e-rawana portal record, however, showed the presence of only 1.6 MT
- A case has been lodged under Section 21 of the MMDR Act and Section 379 of the IPC
Acting tough, the mining authorities have got an FIR registered against the plant owners on the charges of theft and illegal mining. They have also written to the state Director of the Mines and Geology Department, urging him to suspend the e-rawana portal of the plant and to issue it a show-cause notice under Rule 97 of State Mining Rules, 2012.
The team comprising Assistant Mining Engineer (now shifted from Yamunanagar to another district) Rajesh Sangwan and Mining Inspector Aman inspected the plant on June 8 and found stock weighing 14,000 MT lying at the site. When it checked the plant’s e-rawana portal, only 1.6 MT of minerals were found to be shown in its records. Sources said no purchase record was available on the portal since July 2022, indicating that the minerals had been procured illegally.
The team also found that the CCTV cameras at the plant were non-functional. There was no fencing at the site, which is a must as per rules. A complaint was lodged at Buria police station on June 12 .
