Deep nexus: 'Parchi' integral part of illegal mining biz in Haryana's Nuh

Geetanjali Gayatri

Chandigarh, July 25

Shutting down the stone-crushing operations in Nuh to let the dust settle following the death of a DSP out to check illegal mining, owners of stone crushers are biding their time to get back to their business model of “parchi” (slips) to buy raw material illegally and make profits.

Sources say the “parchi system” is an integral part of the “business model” at Nuh. For every dumper stock offloaded on the premises of a stone crusher, the driver is handed over a slip.

This is a proof of the number of times a dumper has delivered the stock. The owner of the dumper, usually a villager, goes to the crusher fortnightly and collects his payment on the basis of those slips. “This business cannot run without stone crushers. We can’t travel long distances with illegally mined material. Once it is delivered at their crusher, the dumper returns, and after that the owner of the stone crusher takes over,” explains a villager.

Maintaining that he was involved in stone-crushing operations and even plied dumpers till some time ago, another villager said, “We hire local boys as drivers and cleaners. They get a monthly salary of around Rs 3,000 and the crusher owner gives them a fixed amount for food. They also get money to pay officials posted at various nakas. The dumper owner gives Rs 15,000 per month to an agent of the police and other agencies to ensure smooth movement of material. After deducting the expenditure, it saves the owner Rs 5,000-7,000 monthly. Given the unemployment in our area, the villagers find it an attractive proposition,” he explains, adding that a dumper-load of stock is bought for around Rs 12,000. Stone-crusher owners send the crushed stone to the construction site at the rate of Rs 20,000-25,000 per dumper (transportation cost additional), thus earning a profit of over Rs 10,000 per dumper.

“A district-level function, CM’s visit, minister’s programme or a rally is seen as good opportunity because the police force will remain diverted there and the dumpers get a free run,” a local explains.

Once the raw material reaches the crusher, the owners who have tied up with mine owners in Rajasthan get fake receipts made for a price to justify their stock. It has to match with the stock shown on the eRavaana portal, which records the movement of mining material.

For every eRavaana receipt generated for one trip, the crusher owners send the same truck to deliver material three-four times, thus evading the payment of tax.

“Most stone-crusher owners are well-connected and are rarely raided to check their stocks. If the government regularly monitors their stocks, they can easily be brought to book,” villagers say.

How the system works

• For every dumper stock offloaded on the premises of a stone crusher, the driver is handed over a “parchi” (slip)
• This is a proof of the number of times a dumper has delivered the stock
• The owner of the dumper goes to the crusher fortnightly and collects his payment on the basis of those slips

Integral part of illegal biz

The business (illegal mining) cannot run without stone crushers. We can’t travel long distances with illegally mined material. Once the material is delivered at a crusher, the dumper returns, after which the owner of the stone crusher takes over. A villager

‘Good’ opportunities

A district-level function, CM’s visit, minister’s programme or a rally is seen as good opportunity because the police force will remain diverted there and the dumpers get a free run. A resident of Nuh area