Mining mafia targets new sites; Opposition demands ED probe

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Ghanaur, January 18

Following reports by The Tribune highlighting illegal mining in Ghanaur and nearby villages, the police and mining department officials are now visiting the sites being targeted by the mafia.

Senior officials in the mining department confirmed that new sites, from where illegally dug sand worth crores was missing, were being reported.

Besides Rajgarh, Nanhera, Chamaru and Bathonian, residents of many new villages were now reporting illegal mining in the area. “The miners have left deep pits in the area, which can lead to mishaps,” said a villager in Ghanaur.

“The modus operandi is simple. The politically inclined owner would allow mining on his land. Miners will dig deep pits, sometimes over 25-ft deep, to take out sand worth lakhs from an acre. Later, it would be shifted to construction sites. Mining officials, police and even villagers would pocket bribe to turn into mute spectators,” said a mining official of the irrigation department who had recently been given charge to check illegal mining.

An official team visited Mardanpur village today. Sources said the role of all officers deputed to check mining in the past three years needed a thorough probe. “All this sand worth crores of rupees did not vanish in just few months. It was plundered for years and no one acted,” a source said.

Ramandeep Singh Bains, XEN, Drainage (cum-mining officer), Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib, said following complaints, a team visited Mardanpur village and took measurements of the total mining done illegally.

“We have already fined the land owner in Chamaru and Bathonia Kalan villages and will now fine Mardanpur land owners too,” he said, adding that they had now been provided a separate police team to carry out raids.

Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harpal Cheema said he was surprised why the Enforcement Directorate had not taken any cognisance of the matter. “We will raise the issue in Vidhan Sabha and also write to ED officials to probe the matter,” he told The Tribune.

An ED official confirmed that they were keeping an eye on all such illegal mining-related developments. “I can’t comment more,” he said.

CM failed to control it in own backyard: SAD

• The Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday dared CM Capt Amarinder Singh to tell the reason he failed to control the sand mafia, particularly in his home district
• SAD senior vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema said in the four-year Congress rule in the state, many FIRs against illegal sand mining had been registered but with no result
• He said in Ghanaur, an Assembly segment of the CM’s home district, more than three dozen FIRs had been registered but the area continued to witness unbridled mining

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