Illegal mining thrives in border belt of Paonta Sahib, Rs 42 lakh penalty realised

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, January 28

Illegal mining appears to be thriving in the border industrial belt of Paonta Sahib of Sirmaur district with the Forest Department imposing a penalty of Rs 42 lakh in 254 cases in the last one year.

Maximum cases of illegal mining were detected in Paonta forest range, followed by Bhagani, Majra and Girinagar ranges in the Paonta Sahib forest division.

Divisional Forest Officer, Paonta Sahib, Aishwarya Raj, said, “In the last 12 months from January to December 2023, the field staff of all four ranges of Paonta Sahib forest division issued challans in 254 cases and realised a penalty of Rs 42 lakh through crackdown on tractors and trucks in the morning and night raids carried extensively against the mining mafia.”

He added that joint patrolling, under both the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and the Mining Act, was undertaken with the assistance of other departments to rein in mining mafia.

“We are trying to tighten noose on the mining mafia operating in the area as it causes colossal damage to environment. Apart from adversely affecting the flora and fauna, it has also been observed that the micro-habitat of an area undergoes a sea change. Cases of rivers changing their course during rains also come to fore due to over-exploitation of the riverbed,” said Raj.

Since the division lies along the neighbouring Uttarakhand, the mining mafia often plunders the quarry material and uses porous border to escape into the other state with little fear of punitive action.

The forest staff issues challans in nearly 15 to 30 cases every month with maximum number of cases emerging in March, May, September and October. “In the month of January 2024, more than 10 cases of illegal mining have been detected and a penalty of Rs 4 lakh has been imposed,” informed Raj.

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