Haryana: 'Well-entrenched' illegal mining network runs easy in Aravallis
Geetanjali Gayatri
Chandigarh, July 21
The mowing down of Haryana DSP Surender Singh, who tried to stop a stone-laden dumper in Nuh’s Tauru block, has put the spotlight back on the “well-entrenched network” that facilitates illegal mining in the Aravallis, despite a ban imposed in 2002 by the Supreme Court.
Judicial probe ordered into DSP’s killing
- Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said the state had decided to conduct a judicial inquiry into DSP Surender Singh’s murder
- A police probe was underway and over 700 cops were holding door-to-door search operations in Tauru, he said
NGOs fighting to save the Aravallis are convinced that quarrying cannot take place in the ecologically-fragile area in south-western Haryana bordering Rajasthan without political patronage and the support of the local administration, especially when police check-posts are a common sight.
Locals maintain that despite the recent incident, mining is continuing unabated in the area. A resident at Firozpur Jhirka village, Nuh block, said on any given day, many dumpers and drilling machines could be spotted working near his village. “With so many nakas, how can dumpers ply unchecked? This only shows the involvement of the police,” he said, adding that the role of politicians could not be ruled out in providing “protection”.
A BJP leader and former chairman of the Gau Raksha Aayog, Bhani Ram Mangla, has a stone-crushing unit in the Aravalli belt. When contacted, he said, “Yes, I have a stone crusher and I procure stones from Punhana, a block in Nuh. The incident took place in Tauru (a sub-division of the Sohna constituency which lies in Nuh district),” he said. However, Mangla called up a few hours later, as if he had an afterthought about procuring stones from a no-mining zone. He denied having said the stones were sourced from Punhana. “I didn’t say stones come from Punhana. I have no idea where we procure stones from. My son manages the crusher and he knows all these details,” he said, adding that the stone crusher had not been operational for the past two or three years.
Coming to the defence of Mangla, Haryana Mines Minister Mool Chand Sharma said he knew about Mangla’s crusher in the Aravallis, but said there was nothing amiss as far as its operations were concerned.
While he was quick to refute any political patronage to illegal mining, he held “poor local” workers responsible for it. “They have no other source of income. They take a truck or two to earn money. They even throw stones at anybody trying to check illegal mining,” he told The Tribune.
Asserting that he had toured the area extensively, Sharma said he was doing “everything possible” to implement the SC ban on mining.
“Corruption is the only reason for mining in these ‘no-mining’ zones. While it goes on quietly most of the time, politicians or influential people intervene if somebody gets caught. The courts take a long time during which the accused work out ‘deals’ and the chapter is closed,” says Swami Aryavesh of the Bandhua Mukti Morcha. The morcha has been involved in court cases centred around illegal mining in the Aravalis.
The Samaj Parivartana Samudaya, another NGO, concurred on the presence of “gangs”. “Political leaders, bureaucrats and police work in tandem, while the lower courts go slow in such matters. They also have criminals with them and operate as a team. Nobody dares to stand up to such gangs because they are ruthless,” said SR Hiremath, who has filed PILs on checking illegal mining.
