Illegal mining a big issue in Yamunanagar district

The issue of illegal mining remained in limelight during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Yamunanagar district as the leaders of opposition parties tried to make it a big election issue, raising fingers at some leaders of the ruling BJP government and officials of some departments of the local administration, alleging their involvement in this illegal business.

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Before and after elections, the issue of illegal mining remained on target of government agencies, including district police, Haryana State Enforcement Bureau, CM Flying Squad, Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and some other agencies, which raided stone crushers, screening plants and establishments of mining contractors and took action, including FIRs against some.

Sources, however, said when action was taken against persons involved in illegal mining activities, the illegal business stopped for some time, but starts again in full swing.

As per information, there are 32 legal mining blocks (mining quarries) in this border district surrounded by Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, but at present, only seven mining blocks are operational and the remaining 25 blocks are non-functional as some of these are suspended blocks and some are expired due to a number of reasons.

Yamuna river is a big source of illegal mining and most of the stone crushers and screening plants are situated in this area, including Devdhar, Ballewala, Doiwala, Bhud Majra and Belgarh villages. Besides, illegal mining is carried out in some seasonal rivulets situated in parts of the district.

Besides river beds, illegal mining is being carried out in agriculture fields with the consent of landowners/farmers. While on the one hand, farmers reportedly do illegal mining in their agriculture fields to fulfill their needs, on the other hand, when a farmer excavates his agriculture fields to extract mining minerals, the process causes land erosion in the agriculture fields of his neighbour.

“Farmers get a huge amount of money after digging their fields to extract mining minerals. After digging, the ownership of the land remains with the farmer and he again starts cultivating crops after getting the levelling work done of those fields,” said a farmer of a village falling in the area of Yamuna river.

Sources said only seven operational mining blocks were not enough units to fulfill the demands of mining minerals of the stone crushers and screening plants of the district.

Therefore, owners of a number of stone crushers, screening plants and contractors of mining blocks purchase fake e-rawana from other districts of Haryana and other states to convert their illegal mining minerals into legal minerals.

The authorities of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board have imposed huge environmental compensation on several farmers for carrying out illegal mining in their agriculture fields.

The police have registered a number of cases against truck drivers, owners of stone crushers, screening plants and mining contractors for using fake e-rawanas. Besides, ED had got an FIR registered in the district in connection with a fake-e rawana case and illegal mining case.

As per the data of the Mines and Geology Department, 39 FIRs had been registered in the district in connection with illegal mining from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, and about 25 FIRs were registered from April 1, 2024, to December 15, 2024.

“To stop illegal mining, we have divided the district into five zones. Two mining guards have been deputed in every zone. The number of vehicles will be increased in the department to check illegal mining. Earlier, inspectors were deputed in crusher zones, but now mining officers have been deputed there,” said Chandar Bhushan Tiwari, Assistant Mining Engineer, Yamunanagar district.