Interstate boundaries not demarcated, illegal mining unabated in Chakki rivulet

The failure of the authorities concerned in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to demarcate the boundaries of the Chakki rivulet at Kandwal in Nurpur of Kangra is considered one of the reasons for mineral theft and unabated illegal mining in the water body. Chakki is also considered a goldmine for the mining mafia active in Nurpur and Pathankot as in the absence of demarcation of its boundaries, illegal extraction of minerals is going on unabated.

Inquiries by The Tribune reveal that though mining is banned in Punjab, stone crushers operational in Pathankot are illegally extracting raw material from the Chakki in Himachal Pradesh’s jurisdiction. To make their operations look legitimate, the offenders are procuring invoices of finished gravel (40 mm to 800 mm size) from stone crushers operating in Kangra district.

The illegal extraction of minerals from the Chakki is not only causing financial losses to the state exchequer by way of evasion of taxes but also damaging the environment in the region.

MR Sharma, an environmentalist and president of NGO People For Environment, underlines the need for the demarcation of the boundaries of the Chakki. He demands a high-level probe into the illegal extraction of minerals on alleged fake invoices obtained from stone crushers operating in Kangra.

He says that an inquiry should also be conducted to find out whether the invoices are issued with the M-form, which is mandatory for selling finished products by stone crushers. Sharma rues unscientific and illegal mining going on in the rivulets of Nurpur and Indora has played havoc with the environment, agricultural land and underground water sources in the lower Kangra region.

Numerous complaints of illegal and unscientific mining on the Chakki riverbed in Himachal’s jurisdiction has been received. However, the Nurpur administration and the police are unable to take action against the culprits due to the un-demarcated area of the rivulet connecting the two states.

The Kangra administration had taken up this contentious issue with its counterpart in Pathankot district in 2015. A joint demarcation exercise by measuring the area from Bhadroya in Nurpur to Mamoon in Pathankot district was started in September 2015 to identify the boundaries of the Chakki but it was left midway due to the lack of cooperation from the revenue departments of both states.

Meanwhile, Nurpur SP Ashok Rattan says that the demarcation of the boundaries of the Chakki will help the police of both Nurpur and Pathankot in solving the cases of crime, law and order and curbing the menace of illegal mining in their areas.