Criminal nexus: Mineral dealer licence misused in Yamunanagar, firm issues transit pass illegally

Tribune News Service

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Yamunanagar, September 23

Owners of a trading firm allegedly misused their mineral dealer licence (MDL) and illegally issued e-rawanas (transit pass) to screening plants in Yamunanagar.

Using these, owners of the screening plants allegedly carried out illegal mining.

The fraud came to light in Tapu Kamalpur village during a checking drive.

As per information, Rajesh Sangwan, who had recently joined as the District Mining Officer, Yamunanagar, has started a physical checking drive of stone crushers, screening plants and mining firms in the district.

A team of the department found that a land situated in Tapu Kamalpur village, for which an MDL was granted to undertake business related to mining material, has been cultivated and paddy crop was grown on it.

On the other hand, it was revealed from the e-rawana portal of the government that though there is no physical stock present anywhere, the owners of the said MDL holder were selling and purchasing (trading) boulder, gravel and sand to other screening plants.

The record of the sale and purchase entered into the MDL of the said trading company showed the sale of minerals from June 23 to September 12 to various screening plant owners.

Further, another record of this trading company showed that it purchased mining material (minor minerals) from various screening plant owners from June 23 to July 24. “As per the guidelines issued by the Directorate Office of Mines and Geology, Haryana, no sale-purchase of minerals is allowed amongst screening plant owners,” said Sangwan. He said the practice adopted by the owners of the said MDL holder was illegal as they sold e-rawanas to other plant owners, who were involved in illegal mining.

“The illegally-mined mineral was converted into legal mineral through these e-rawanas given by the owners of the trading company,” said Sangwan. A case has been registered against the owners of the trading company under Sections 379, 188, 420, 120-B of the IPC and Section 21 (5) of the MMDR Act-1957.

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