Days after floods, Dinanagar MLA foils AAP leader’s ‘illegal’ mining pitch

Dinanagar MLA Aruna Chaudhary has foiled an attempt by a Pathankot-based mining operator to excavate sand near the Ravi. The operator allegedly has the backing of a ruling party leader. This comes as illegal mining is being seen as one of the reasons for the recent floods in the state.

The AAP leader and the miners are accused of planning to carry out excavation in an area that lies within 5 km of the International Border (IB), where mining is banned. Also, the state government enforces curbs on mining activity every year till the rainy season ends on September 30.

MLA Chaudhary has asked the authorities “to depute a technical team and only then allow mining in and around the Ravi”, stating that otherwise floods are bound to occur again.On September 4, on a visit to Gurdaspur, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said that “mining was the biggest factor behind the floods”.

The Pathankot-based operator is allegedly being backed by Dinanagar AAP halqa in-charge Shamsher Singh. In order to provide legitimacy to the entire exercise, Shamsher Singh took a tour of the area late on Sunday evening along with photographers and got himself interviewed. Later, the video was circulated among local residents.

“The intention was to tell the civil administration and villagers that he was backing the miners. In this way, nobody would have interfered had the excavation started. This clearly shows he was hand in glove with the miners,” alleged Ajay Pal Singh, a former sarpanch of Makoran village.

“Had the excavation started, the natural flow of water would have been disrupted due to which the Ravi would have changed its course. Villages such as Makoran, Tanda Basti, Ogra, Chitti, Faridpur, Kanha, Gahalri and Chak Ram Sahai could have faced large-scale inundation,” said Ajay Pal.

Shamsher Singh, however, said, “People are wrongly interpreting that I had gone there to facilitate mining. That is not the case. Farmers’ land is under 4 to 6 ft of silt and sludge. I had gone to Makoran village to see what our government has done till now.”

When Congress MLA Chaudhary got to know of the impending exercise, she immediately shot off a letter to Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh, Dinanagar SDM Jaspinder Singh and other officials. The Secretary (Water Resources) was also sounded. “Despite all these restrictions and limitations, the miners still had the audacity to go ahead,” said the MLA She, however, said the government scheme, “Jisda Khet, Usdi Ret”, was a good initiative. “I agree that he was going to extract sand on his land but he should have known that the activity has been banned till September 30. He should also have been aware of the fact that the area lies within 5 km of the IB. I appreciate the administration’s prompt respons,”she said.

SDM Jaspinder Singh said, “For the time being, the activity has been stopped. We are awaiting further orders.”

Wants technical team deputed

The excavation exercise was halted at the behest of Dinanagar MLA Aruna Chaudhary. She has now asked the authorities “to depute a technical team and only then allow mining in and around the Ravi”, stating that otherwise floods are bound to occur again.