Irrigation Dept digs trenches to stop illegal mining activities in Yamunanagar

Tribune News Service

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Yamunanagar, March 15

The mining mafia was allegedly using an inspection road of the Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Yamunanagar (an embankment of the Western Jamuna Canal, which is used by the department as a passage for inspection of the canal) as a passage for transporting mining minerals illegally.When the matter came to the notice of the authorities of the Irrigation department, they dug trenches on the inspection road to curb illegal mining activities through this route.

According to information, the mining mafia was allegedly using the west side embankment of the Western Jamuna Canal (WJC) as a passage from Bahadarpur village to the bridge of the WJC situated in Bhud Kalan village.

The mining mafia was using the passage for transporting illegal raw mining minerals to the stone crusher zone, situated at Ballewala village and for transporting finished mining minerals from the Ballewala zone to Pratap Nagar town and other places of the area.

Sources said the mafia was using the route to avoid the action of mining contractors, police, the Mining Department and other departments concerned of the local

administration.

Amit Kumar, Junior Engineer of the Irrigation Department said when this matter came to their notice, they immediately dug up two trenches on the passage to curb illegal mining activities through this route.

“The inspection road is used by our department to undertake inspection or patrolling of the canal. But, for some time, some people were using this route for transporting mining minerals illegally. Therefore, we have recently dug up two trenches on the passage,” said JE Kumar.

He further said three employees of the department had been deputed on patrolling work in the area, so that no one could use resources/routes of the Irrigation Department for undertaking illegal mining activities.

“Our senior officers have issued us clear instructions that the passages of the department should not be used by anyone for undertaking illegal mining activities. Therefore, we are keeping strict vigil on such routes of the department,”said

JE Kumar.

Sources said the illegal mining activities were being run mostly by the people of the area by using tractor-trailers.

“Illegal mining is not only resulting in large-scale environmental degradation in Yamunanagar district, but also causing loss of lakhs of rupees to the state exchequer,” said a source.

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