Justice served: Illegal passage under Shahnehar canal sealed

Following an order passed by the Himachal Pradesh High Court on July 8, the Jal Shakti Department (JSD) has taken swift and decisive action to permanently block an unauthorised passage beneath the Shahnehar canal structure at Rehatpur village in the Mand area of Fatehpur constituency. The order came in response to Civil Writ Petition (CWP) No. 10430 filed by Seema Devi, a resident of the Mand area, highlighting the illegal creation of the route.

The High Court took strong exception to the movement of heavy vehicles transporting illegally mined minerals through this unapproved passage. It directed the Superintending Engineer of JSD to ensure its permanent closure within one week. In compliance, the department completed the construction of a Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) structure to seal the passage. The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on July 23 to review the compliance status.

The issue had earlier been repeatedly highlighted by The Tribune and concerned citizens, who raised alarms over the threat this passage posed to the Shahnehar canal and the surrounding environment. The passage had become a key route for transporting illegally extracted raw materials—mainly from the Beas riverbed and terrace lands in the Mand area—to stone crushers located across the border in Punjab.

Illegal mining has been a persistent menace in Indora and Fatehpur subdivisions, with environmentalists and locals repeatedly voicing their concerns. Despite previous efforts to dismantle the passage, offenders reopened it several times, reportedly backed by a mining mafia.

Fatehpur MLA Bhawani Singh Pathania, who had earlier issued directives to close the route, welcomed the High Court’s intervention. In a social media statement, he warned that any future attempt to reopen the passage would lead to criminal action. He urged residents not to allow mining on their private lands for short-term profits, emphasizing the long-term environmental and safety risks. A senior JSD official from Nurpur confirmed the permanent closure of the passage and stated that a compliance report would be submitted in court as per its directive.