Yamunanagar: E-ravaana 'fraud', 89 units barred from mining trade

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Yamunanagar, November 5

In a major action against illegal practices in the mining business, the Haryana Mines and Geology Department has disallowed 89 stone crushers and screening plants in Yamunanagar district from generating e-ravaana bills (transit passes), mandatory for the sale and purchase of raw and mined material. The action, though temporary, completely prohibits these units from the mining business.

Major Crackdown in Yamunanagar

• E-ravaana bills generated by a Panchkula contractor for 3,59,616 MT of mined material for the 89 units in Yamunanagar district
• Though online bills were generated on Haryana Govt’s e-ravaana portal, no such actual sale or purchase took place, say sources
• The aim was to let the 89 crushers and screening plants allegedly adjust illegally mined material in the guise of legal e-ravaana bills

Sources said the Mining Department authorities had found that the 89 units allegedly misused e-ravaana bills to show fraudulent online transactions of 3,59,616 metric tonnes of minerals (boulder, gravel and sand) from a contractor in Panchkula district in June even as no physical sale or purchase was done.

The contractor allegedly showed the online transactions to facilitate the sale of illegally mined minerals by the 89 units elsewhere under the guise of legal business through e-ravaana bills, the sources said.

According to information, the order to bar the crushing and other units from generating e-ravaana bills on the department’s portal was issued by the Haryana Mining Engineer on behalf of the Director General of Mines and Geology Mandip Singh Brar on November 2.

“The authority of these 89 units to generate e-ravaana bills from the department’s e-ravaana portal stands temporarily suspended till further orders…. This order shall also be a show-cause notice to the said units under rule 97 (3) to explain their position as to why penal action may not be taken against them,” read the order.

A reply has been sought within seven working days from the issuance of the notice. “Non-receipt of reply will be presumed that you have nothing to submit in your favour and in such circumstances, further necessary action as per the state rules 2012 will be initiated against you, for which you shall be solely responsible,” it read. District Mining Officer Om Dutt Sharma confirmed that the higher authorities had taken action against the 89 stone crushers and screening plants of Yamunanagar district.