3 poclain machines seized near Swan riverbed

In midnight raids, officials confiscated three poclain machines engaged in illegal mining in the Swan riverbed.

Sources said a team led by SDM Nangal Sachin Pathak and DSP (D) Jatinder Singh Chauhan carried out the raid at the Swan riverbed on Saturday night. The officials carried out the raids in private vehicles in order to avoid alerting the mining mafia and their agents along the paths leading to the riverbed.

"On previous occasions, when we conducted raids in official vehicles, illegal miners would get alerted and fled the spot. This time we carried the raids in private vehicles without any flashers. We managed to seize three poclain machines engaged in illegal mining,” said an official who was part of the raids.

The impounded machines were engaged in illegal mining near the temporary bridge on the Swan in Algran village. Sources said the illegally mined material was being transported to adjoining stone crushers.

The SDM said an FIR had been registered under the Mines and Minerals Act against the owners of poclain machines confiscated during the raids. 

The Tribune had reported that residents of Anandpur Sahib and Nangal had been complaining of a large-scale illegal mining in the Swan and Sutlej after the monsoon floods. Residents of Algran and Bhalan had lodged complaints with the district administration alleging that illegal mining had resumed in full swing in the riverbeds under the cover of darkness.

According to villagers, tippers loaded with illegally mined sand and gravel operate at night, damaging temporary paths built by the government to help flood-affected residents cross the rivers safely. The situation has left locals frustrated as the already fragile infrastructure, created to restore connectivity post-floods, is being destroyed by the mining activity.

Tikka Yashvir Chand, the president of the Ilaka Sangarsh Committee, a local body formed to fight against illegal mining, alleged that "illegal mining is happening every night in the Swan and Sutlej. The tippers filled with stones and sand cross through the temporary paths. The damage is so severe that even two-wheelers cannot pass, forcing villagers to wade through muddy patches on foot.

He further said the government had not sanctioned any legal mining site in Algran and Bhalan villages. "Despite the absence of any official permit, the mining mafia continues its operations fearlessly. Several stone crushers are functioning illegally, drawing material directly from the riverbeds," said Chand.

Residents of the affected villages expressed concern that such unregulated mining not only damages public infrastructure but also poses a serious environmental threat. Local organisations and activists had urged the district administration to launch a strict crackdown on illegal mining operations and seize the machinery being used in the process.