Himachal HC slams lax action on illegal mining along Beas

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Jiya Lal Bhardwaj has directed the state authorities to file an affidavit detailing concrete steps taken during 2024-25 to curb illegal mining. The Bench also questioned why FIRs were not registered despite the detection of large-scale illegal transportation and why vehicles involved were neither seized nor confiscated as mandated by law, but were instead allowed to go after payment of minor penalties.

The order came after the court examined an affidavit submitted by the Jaisinghpur SDM, which stated that one bank of the Beas falls under the Dharmapur Sub-Division (Mandi) and the other under the Sujanpur Sub-Division (Hamirpur). The SDM recommended forming a district-level task force to effectively check illegal mining across this inter-district stretch. According to the affidavit, 15 vehicles were challaned under the Mining Act and 6,681 metric tonnes of minerals were seized and auctioned for Rs 7.01 lakh. It also claimed that no FIR was filed as no individual was found extracting minerals at the time of enforcement action. However, this assertion contradicted an earlier official response revealing that in 2024, 26 tippers, 36 tractors and one canter were found engaged in illegal mining activities.

The HC’s direction underscores increasing judicial scrutiny of enforcement lapses in the ecologically fragile Beas river belt, where unchecked mining continues to pose serious environmental and safety hazards. The matter will be taken up again on January 8, 2026.