Trucks without number plates carry illegal mining material

Dinesh Kanwar

Hamirpur, April 3

As the law-enforcing agencies have turned a blind eye to illegal mining, the mafia is violating all norms in the district.

It is alleged that the mafia is not only using earth excavators on riverbeds, but also ferrying mining material in trucks that don’t bear any registration number.

There are over 20 stone crushers. But those who are illegally mining have adopted new methods to escape the penalties and mint money by evading taxes.

This has not only destroyed many water resources, but also added to river pollution. Surprisingly, a number of trucks without registration numbers can be seen plying in Hamirpur, Nadaun, Badsar, Tauni Devi and Sujanpur.

Rakesh Parmar from Nadaun said people had made complaints to the district administration, the police and mining authorities but none of the department had listened to them.

Harvinder Singh, district mining officer, said as he had two districts, he could not look after illegal mining activities in two places. He would see when he would come to Hamirpur as he was in Una.

Karthikeyan Gokulachandran, Superintendent of Police, said the police could only act on the vehicle plying without numbers. Action would be taken on such vehicles.

No action on complaints

• A number of trucks without registration numbers can be seen plying in Hamirpur, Nadaun, Badsar, Tauni Devi and Sujanpur
• People had reportedly made complaints to the district administration, the police and mining authorities, but no one had paid heed to them
• Harvinder Singh, district mining officer, said as he had two districts, he could not look after mining activities at two places.