Himachal dept takes up illegal mining in Chakki with Punjab authorities

The State Mining Department has taken a serious note of illegal extraction of minerals from Chakki rivulet in Himachal Pradesh by illegally run stone crushers in the Hariyal and Treheti areas of Pathankot district in Punjab.

The Nurpur Mining Officer has written to the Executive Engineer, Drainage-cum-Mining and Geology Division, Pathankot, for an urgent action against illegal mining operations. As per the Mining Department sources, letters had been written twice to the Punjab authorities in the past too — on July 16 and February 20, 2024, but no action was taken against the illegal operation of stone crushers.

In the recent communication, the Mining Department has named nine stone crushers being operated illegally in the Punjab area. Inquiries reveal that due an undemarcated Chakki rivulet that flows between the two states, Punjab-based stone crushers resort to illegal mining in the Nurpur area of Himachal. The successive governments have failed to demarcate the rivulet.

Local environmentalists and social activists have demanded that either the Chakki rivulet be clearly demarcated or declared a no-mining zone to curb illegal mining and ongoing damage to ecology of the area.

In the letter, the State Mining Department has appealed to the corresponding Pathankot authorities to stop illegal operation of stone crushers in the Hariyal and Treheti area. The department has also suggested conducting joint and frequent raids in the area to curb illegal practice.

The department has also submitted copies of official communiques to the Kangra DC, Nurpur SP and SDM Nurpur and state Geologist (zone-2), Shimla.

Meanwhile, Suresh Kumar, Mining Officer, Nurpur told The Tribune that during a surprise raid on September 30 near Bharmana Nullah in the Chakki rivulet, he found illegal mining activities being conducted with land excavating machinery in the Chakki rivulet in the Himachal area.

“Since the machinery being used by some individuals at the behest of stone crushers in Punjab, it is a challenging task to take immediate action against the offenders,” he said.

“The illegal mining activities by Punjab-based stone crushers are not only damaging public utility schemes and government property, but also causing extensive financial loss to the exchequer in Himachal Pradesh,” he said.