34 vehicles impounded for illegal transportation of mining material
Tribune News Service
Yamunanagar, August 30
Taking a major action against illegal transportation of mining minerals, a team of district police along with the Mines and Geology Department has caught 34 trucks and tractor-trolleys in Yamunanagar district in last one week.
The authorities of the Mining Department have seized the vehicles, which were allegedly carrying mining minerals without e-transit passes/rawanas, causing huge loss of revenue to the government exchequer.
According to information, the police team headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashish Chaudhary checked vehicles loaded with mining minerals near Panjeto village on Jagadhri-Paonta Sahib National Highway on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
During checking, the team found 20 trucks carrying mining minerals without e-transit passes. Mining Inspector, Mines and Geology Department, Rohit Rana, said all the trucks were impounded by them and their custody was handed over to Haryana State Enforcement Bureau for further action.
On the other hand, a joint team of the police and Mining Department had also carried out checking of vehicles in the area falling under Buria police station of the district on August 25. The joint team caught 14 tractor-trolleys carrying mining minerals without e-transit passes.
Rana said those vehicles were also impounded and handed over to Buria police of the district. “The tractor-trolleys were parked in the mining yard situated at Kharwan road in Jagadhri,” he said.
He added that fine, royalty, price of mineral loaded in the vehicles and environmental compensation were yet to be recovered from the owners as per orders issued by National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, in 2019 and 2020.
If the showroom value of a vehicle/equipment/excavator is over Rs 25 lakh and is less than 5 years old, the penalty amount charged is Rs 4 lakh. The penalty is Rs 3 lakh for vehicle/equipment/excavators with showroom value more than Rs 25 lakh and is 5-10 years old.
“For vehicles older than 10 years, equipment/excavators which are otherwise legally permissible to be operated and not covered by serial number 1 and 2, will be fined Rs 2 lakh,” said a source.
