Police register case for illegal mining on complaint by Forest Department

The police have registered an FIR against a land owner and the crusher installed in village Kunail in case of illegal mining in village Sadarpur, on the complaint of the Forest Range Officer. The police have not arrested anyone yet.

Range Officer Jaswant Singh, posted at Garhshankar office of Forest and Wildlife Protection Department, Punjab sent a complaint to the SHO, Garhshankar, and requested to register an FIR in the case of illegal mining. According to the complaint of Range Officer Jaswant Singh, forest guard Sunny and Block Officer Kiran Kumar have reported that they saw illegal mining in village Sadarpur during patrolling. The area of ??illegal mining belongs to Lakhbir Singh, a resident of Hayatpur Roorkee in tehsil Balachaur, district Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar. Lakhbir Singh had given an application to the Divisional Forest Officer regarding the said area on November 1, 2023 and the owner Lakhbir Singh, along with the department employees, had marked the delisted area on November 6, 2023. The delisted area also includes the closed area under Section 4 and 5 of PLPA.

According to the FIR lodged on the basis of complaint, on May 13, the said owner and Shivalik Aggregate Stone Crusher violated Section 4/5 of PLPA and Section 29, 30, 32, 33, 63 C of Forest Protection Act 1927 and the Supreme Court’s order of December 12, 1996, besides violating Section 4(1) and 21(1) of Mines and Minerals Act 1957. In this regard, damage report number 1578640 was filed by forest guard Sunny on May 13. On the said complaint, Garhshankar police have registered a case against Lakhbir Singh and Shivalik Aggregate Stone Crusher under section 4(1), 21(1) of the Mines and Mineral (Regulation of Development) Act, 1957.