Jaisinghpur SDM raids illegal mining site on Beas riverbed

Ravinder Sood

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Palampur, December 1

Jaisinghpur SDM Sanjiv Kumar Thakur today carried out a raid on a mining site on the Beas riverbed and seized 160 tonnes of sand stacked by the mining mafia. The SDM had received a report that illegal mining was going in the Beas near Sukhri ka Bag Lambagaon. The sand stacked by the mafia was seized but culprits managed to escape from the spot.

Later talking to mediapersons, the SDM said there was complete ban on mining in the Beas. He said the Chief Minister had categorically stated that no legal illegal mining would be allowed in the Beas river basin. He said no part of river had been leased out by the state government and no one would be allowed to indulge in illegal mining in Jaisinghpur subdivision, where major part of the river falls.

He said he had asked the police to launch a crackdown against the mining mafia operating on the Beas riverbed. The mining mafia had caused damage by digging deep trenches in rivers and rivulets in Jaisinghpur, he added.

Meanwhile, the claims of the police and the Mining Department that no illegal activity was going on in the Jaisinghpur area of Palampur have proved hollow, as the ground reality is entirely different. Large-scale illegal mining is going on in the Beas. Trucks, JCB machines and tractor-trailers can be seen engaged in extracting mining material from the riverbed in an unscientific manner round the clock.

Later, the SDM also ordered migrant labourers to vacate the riverbed and dismantle the shed constructed by them. He said the hundreds of jhuggis of migrants in the river bed have become a major health hazard as they were defecation in the river polluting its water, which is used for drinking in lower areas.

Heavy equipment being used openly

• The state government has banned mining in the Beas following the orders of the HP High Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) but the illegal practice is still going on
• Former Jaisinghpur MLA Ravinder Ravi Dhiman said despite the ban, heavy equipment was being used openly for illegal mining
• Trucks, JCB machines and tractor-trailers can be seen engaged in extracting mining material from the riverbed in an unscientific manner round the clock