Illegal mining detected in Aravallis
Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service
Hisar, December 25
The police have registered a case in connection with illegal mining in the ecologically fragile forest ranges of Aravalli foothills near the Dadam mining zone in Bhiwani district.
Crime spot: Bhiwani
Forest Range Officer Jai Prakash said forest officials conducted a raid on Dadam mining area (Bhiwani district) on Sunday night and found some men engaged in illegal mining
On seeing the officials, the men fled leaving the machinery and dumpers behind.
A case under Sections 21 (1) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act registered
A dumper laden with stones, a drilling machine and a machine meant for loading stones in the dumper have been seized.
Forest Range Officer Jai Prakash said that on a tip-off, forest officials conducted a raid on the Dadam mining area on Sunday night and found some men engaged in illegal mining. On seeing the officials, the men fled leaving the machinery behind.
A case was registered under Sections 21 (1) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and Section 379 of the IPC against unidentified persons on Monday.
In a similar incident, the police on December 15 registered a case on the direction of the Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Tosham, against former Tosham police station SHO Chander Bhan, ASI Om Prakash, HSIIDC project manager Rohit Deswal, mining firm director Sunil Sharma, mining caretaker Joginder Malik and three stone crusher owners, among others under Sections 119, 193, 379, 420, 467, 468, 471, 499, 506 and 120-B of the IPC.
The case was registered on the complaint of social activist Harish Jindal, a local resident.
Jindal told The Tribune he had informed the police about illegal mining in the Khanak mining zone on March 19, which was a day off for mining. The HSIIDC has the mining contract in the Khanak zone.
He said he was surprised when the police took action on his application the same day (March 19) and concluded that his application was false and booked him under Section 182 (false information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person) of the IPC.
Subsequently, he moved court which later ordered the police to register a case.
“The police took a contrary stand in its inquiry report. At one place, they stated that there no movement of vehicles at naka number 9 as per the CCTV footage, but an action-taken report filed by the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Tosham, on December 2 mentioned that the CCTV footage of naka number 9 showed a vehicle coming from the hills, but it was empty,” Jindal said.
Tosham police station SHO Dilbag Singh said the police were investigating the case registered on Jindal’s complaint.
