Deep nexus: Firm, mining officials booked for causing Rs 35-cr loss in Panchkula

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Advertisement

Chandigarh, September 8

The State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) has booked a mining firm, its owners and unnamed officials of the Mining Department for alleged illegal mining in Panchkula district, leading to a loss of Rs 35 crore to the state government.

The SVB took the help of satellite imagery and its analysis from the Haryana Space Application Centre (HARSAC) for filing the case.

M/s Tirupati Roadways has been awarded a mining site at Rattewali village in Panchkula. The SVB first raided the site on May 11, 2022. It came out from the raid that during the period from May 5, 2022, to May 11, 2022, a total number of 1,868 trucks were found to have taken out the excavated material, whereas the bills mentioning the GST and royalty of only 518 trucks were found to be issued, according to the FIR.

The HARSAC report revealed that the total volume extracted from the above mine was 47.66 LTPA. Whereas, as per the Specific Conditions of Environment Clearance letter, dated February 21, 2020, issued to the firm, the permissible mining of the river bed material, including boulder, gravel and sand, had to be limited to only 8.39 LTPA from an effective mineable area of 24.25 ha, with a maximum mineable depth of 1.33m from the original ground level.

“Thus, it is clear that the volume of material extracted by the owner of the firm M/s Tirupati Roadways at Rattewali from the mine is six times more than the permissible limit in a year. Thus, a huge loss of about Rs 35 crore of revenue has been caused to the Government of Haryana by the owners of the said firm,” added the FIR.

The FIR, registered on the complaint of DSP Shareef Singh, read that “the conspiracy of mining officers/officials with the owners of the said firm in getting extracted huge volume of material more than the permissible limit cannot be ruled out and, hence, the role of mining officers concerned be also looked into”.

The SVB reported the matter to the Chief Secretary. The competent authority approved the FIR against M/s Tirupati Roadways and officials of the Mining and Geology Department involved in this case of the alleged illegal mining and evasion of tax.

Finally, a case under sections 420 (for cheating), 379 (for theft), 414 (for assistance in the concealment of stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulatory) Act 1957 and under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against the firm, its owners and officials of the Mining Department.

DSP (Vigilance) Shareef Singh could not be contacted for comments.

Satellite imagery put to use

• The State Vigilance Bureau took the help of satellite imagery and its analysis from Haryana Space Application Centre for filing the case.
• It was stated in the FIR that the volume of material extracted by the owner of the firm M/s Tirupati Roadways at Rattewali village from the mine was six times more than the permissible limit in a year