Flood threat in Chamkaur Sahib as miners rob Sutlej of sand

Arun Sharma
Tribune News Service
Chamkaur Sahib, January 19

The studs set up at a cost of Rs 10 crore on the Sutlej to protect the riverbed at nearby Rasidpur village few years ago are in danger. Reason: The mining mafia has illegally dug up sand from the area at a large scale in the past few days.

Though local residents alleged that the sand from the river was dug up by the men of the contractor who had been awarded the work to de-silt the river, the latter denied the allegations. Now demanding a check on the illegal mining in the area, residents of adjoining villages have started a chain hunger strike near the site.

Contractor blamed

• Residents of nearby villages allege that the sand from the river has been dug up by the men of the contractor hired to de-silt the river
• They say the contractor was supposed to lift sand from the middle of the river but he dug up the areas adjoining the banks of the river

A visit to the spot revealed that sand was dug up from a vast area of the river adjoining the left bank. As no sand has been left near the studs, villagers said these would be washed away whenever water flows in full stream during monsoon, flooding the nearby villages.

Bharati Kisan Union (Kadian) district chief Gurnam Singh Maawi, a resident of adjoining Jassara village, said: “We noticed the rampant digging of the riverbed on Friday and brought it to the notice of the authorities. But nothing has been done so far.”

Two held in Fazilka

• Two persons were arrested and a sand-laden tractor trailer was impounded in Chahlanwali village , Fazilka
• Sandeep Singh and Angrej Singh, residents of Chack Kheowala village, reportedly excavated it from a seepage drain

Karnail Singh, a resident of Rasidpur village, said: “The contractor was supposed to lift sand from the middle of the river from less than one acre of the area. Instead, hundreds of tippers were loaded with sand being dug from areas adjoining the bank of the river and this has weakened the foundation of the studs.”

Deepak Gupta, the contractor’s supervisor, said: “We started working here on January 12. Till now, we have just levelled a stretch of the riverbed to make a path for tippers. The missing sand was lifted before we even started working here.”

Sukhwinder Singh Kalsi, Xen, drainage, said: “The contractor is supposed to de-silt the riverbed at a distance of 300 feet from the riverbank. I have already received a complaint from the villagers. I will look into the issue.”

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