Jaisinghpur admn raids illegal mining site on Beas riverbed

Jaisinghpur SDM Sanjiv Kumar Thakur conducted a raid on an illegal mining site on the Beas riverbed near Sukri ka Bag, Lambagaon, today, seizing 750 tonnes of sand stacked by the mining mafia. The culprits, however, managed to escape before authorities arrived.

Advertisement

The raid follows a recent Himachal Pradesh High Court directive, which took cognisance of a news report on large-scale illegal mining in Jaisinghpur. The court has treated the report as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and directed the state government to file a status report.

Speaking to the media, the SDM emphasised that mining activities in the Beas are completely banned and warned that no illegal mining would be tolerated. He clarified that no part of the Beas river basin in Jaisinghpur has been leased out by the state government and announced plans for a continued crackdown on the mining mafia.

He noted that illegal mining operations had caused significant environmental damage by digging deep trenches in rivers and rivulets. Despite claims by the police and the Mining Department denying any illegal activity in the region, the ground reality shows rampant mining, with trucks, JCB machines, and tractor-trailers actively extracting material from the riverbed around the clock.

During the operation, the SDM also directed migrant laborers residing along the riverbed to vacate the area and dismantle their makeshift shelters. He cited the unhygienic living conditions and open defecation in the river as a major health hazard, especially as the Beas supplies drinking water to downstream areas.

The administration has vowed to take strict measures against illegal mining and safeguard the Beas from further exploitation.