Illegal mining: 36 vehicles impounded in Ferozepur

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, February 15

In a major drive against illegal and indiscriminate sand mining, the Mining Department has impounded 36 vehicles from Borawali village falling under Mallanwala police station in Ferozepur district, the mining authorities confirmed here today.

Gurjant Singh Sidhu, District Mining Officer of Moga who is also incharge of Ferozepur, Fazilka and Faridkot districts, said that on a tip-off, a team of the Mining Department led by Inspector Sukhmandar Singh raided the fields at Borawali village. They found that heavy machinery being used in mining operations was stationed at the site.

He said that a Poke Lane machine, a JCB machine, 15 trailers, 16 tractor-trailers, a truck and two tippers were impounded from the mining site. The mining contractor and his team fled away from the spot.

He said that a team of the local police was immediately summoned and a criminal case under Section 379 of the IPC and under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1967 had been registered against contractor Avtar Singh, a resident of Mohali, and 36 drivers of the vehicles impounded by the police. But no one has been arrested so far.

The District Mining Officer said that indiscriminate and unscientific mining was being done in the village fields, posing a threat to the local ecology in violation of the environment laws and the guidelines/instructions issued by the state Pollution Control Board.

It has been learnt that many vehicles impounded by the police did not have registration numbers while tractor-trailers were being used in mining operations in violation of the transport rules framed by the state government.

After impounding the vehicles, a team of the local police has been deployed on the mining site.

The mining officer said that more such raids would be conducted in the future to stop illegal mining in Ferozepur and Faridkot divisions. “The government is determined to end illegal and indiscriminate mining operations,” he said.