Ban use of heavy machinery for mining in rivers, govt urged

Environmental groups of Kangra yesterday urged the state government to review its mining policy and ban all types of heavy machinery allowed for the extraction of minerals. They said that the Himachal Government should learn lessons from the recent natural calamities and give priority to the protection of the environment. It should immediately stop the cutting of hills and digging of riverbeds, they added.

They said that the new mining policy of 2024 permitted the use of heavy machinery for the extraction of sand and stones from rivers, rivulets and mining zones of the state. They added that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had already cautioned the Himachal Government in this regard.

The new mineral policy of the state government had replaced the 11-year-old Mineral Mining Policy-2013 brought by the Virbadhra Singh government. The present Congress government headed by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu under pressure from the mining lobby allowed the use of heavy machinery for mining at a nominal fee. Three former Chief Ministers — Virbadhra Singh, Prem Kumar Dhumal and Jai Ram Thakur — had outrightly rejected the request of the mining lobby keeping in view the ecologically-fragile strata of the state and continued with the old mining policy.

Under the new Mineral Policy-2024, the state government has allowed the use of heavy machinery like JCB and poclain machines and earthmovers for the extraction of minerals from riverbeds or streams up to the depth of 1 metre to 2 metres.

Save Neugal River, People’s Voice, Save Himalayas and Environment Healers have urged Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to intervene in the matter and review the government decisions. KB Ralhan, spokesman for these organisations, while taking to mediapersons, said that environmentalists had time and again raised concern over alleged illegal mining in the rivers and rivulets of Kangra like the Beas, Neugal, Mandh and Mol khuds.