FIR registered in illegal mining case at Nalagarh

Solan, July 24

There is no end to the illegal mining activities in the bordering industrial belt of Nalagarh, where during a surprise raid, a police team detected a mini-truck loaded with quarry material and an excavation machine at the Mahadev khud last night.

Since the area borders Punjab, the khuds and riverbeds face indiscriminate damage from the mining mafia which operates surreptitiously at night and during the wee hours to avoid detection by the authorities. They also use vehicles bearing no registration numbers.

A tipper, without any registration number, loaded with gravel was seized on the road near Mahadev khud by the police team. The driver allegedly fled the spot on seeing the police. The driver of the excavation machine, found engaged in digging mining material from the Mahadev khud, also fled the spot. Both the vehicles were seized by the police. Meanwhile, Assistant Mining Inspector Sehdev lodged a complaint with the Nalagarh police today.

A case of theft and illegal mining under Section 21(1) of the Mining Act was registered on a complaint made by the mining official who provided chassis number and engine serial number of the two vehicles.