Illegal mining: Police yet to zero in on big fish in Patiala

Tribune News Service

Aman Sood

Patiala, July 26

For over a decade, hundreds of tippers and earth-moving machinery have dug deep in many villages on the banks of the Ghaggar with “active role of the local police and mining officials” controlled by the political lobby.

With no state government-monitored probe, hundreds of FIRs have been registered separately in various police stations against the lower-rung mafia members with “no mention of the actual beneficiaries”.

With the new government ordering a crackdown on the mining mafia, the villagers have now heaved a sigh of relief. “It is after over 12 years that we sleep peacefully. Otherwise every night, trucks and cranes would enter the village without permits and start the excavation. Villagers close to the local MLA reap rich benefits with no opposition,” claim villagers in the mining belt, reluctant to be named.

“Many youngsters left studies and were directly involved in the trade for making a quick buck. Now, many of them are facing FIRs and with the illegal trade now almost shut, they are jobless. Many are hooked to drugs while others are doing petty jobs,” they say.

The mining mafia, however, claims they are suddenly idle without the political support. “Ever since the government has changed, we haven’t even taken out a truck of sand, as there is too much vigil,” said a person earlier involved with the mining mafia.

Despite rampant mining during the past over a decade, the accused arrested by the police in a majority of the cases get bail within a month and their confiscated machinery is also released within two months, as per the law. Documents accessed by The Tribune reveal that in many cases, the arrested accused get bail from the court in less than a month, as per the law.

A DSP-level officer said that it was an open secret that in the past, all was done at the behest of the local ruling party politicians, who directly controlled the postings of the SHO and DSP-level officers. “It was therefore not practical to start a probe into the illegal mining cases, when you know who holds the remote control,” he added.

“The simple fact is that till the time the government orders a probe or forms a SIT, we have to deal with each case separately. We cannot club FIRs on our own. Moreover, when the machinery is confiscated and the accused arrested, police remand serves no purpose,” said a senior IPS officer, who has served as the SSP in four districts.

Information gathered by The Tribune further reveals that in over 50 FIRs registered at various police stations in the illegal mining hotbed — Ghanaur, Sanaur and Shutrana — for years, the arrested accused accept their folly and thus, no remand is required to grill them further. “Those involved in the excavation of sand are professionals now. For them it (an arrest and bail) is part of their profession. Over 200 such tippers and machinery were operating in these constituencies till recently,” said another senior official.

All officials jointly responsible

From SHOs/DSP to mining officials, all are jointly responsible for any plaint on the illegal activity. With govt directions, we take immediate action against owners of firms and vehicles involved in the illegal practice. There is zero tolerance towards illegal mining. Any negligence will attract disciplinary action. — Deepak Pareek, Patiala SSP

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