Chandigarh, August 7: Tightening noose around the illegal miners in the state, Punjab Mining and Geology Department has registered as many as 201 cases against 189 persons involved in illegal mining activities in the last three months- May to July, 2020. A total 299 vehicles and machines being used for illegal mining have also been seized across the state in the past three months.
Divulging the details Punjab Mining and Geology Minister Mr. Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria said that Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has already ordered stringent action against those indulging in illegal mining in the state. Mr. Sarkaria said that vehicles used for mining material must have a slip of mining department. All those vehicles that did not have the mining department slip to carry mining material were being seized and legal action was being taken against them. Notably, Mining department issues slip for vehicles to carry mining material from approved sites.
Instructing Mining department officials to deal strictly with miners and vehicle owners indulging in the illegal practice, Mr. Sarkaria said that illegal mining had led to heavy losses to the state exchequer and needed to be checked on priority. The minister also warned that strict action would also be taken against those owners on whose land the illegal practice was being done. He directed that the vehicles used for illegal mining must also be confiscated. Mr. Sarkaria categorically said no political interference would be tolerated at all. Punjab Government was fully committed to provide sand-gravels to the people of state at reasonable prices and for this purpose, the mining sites have been allocated through e-auction, he added.
Besides, confiscating tractor-trolleys, tippers or other vehicles carrying mining material illegally, Chief Engineer Mining Mr. S.K. Gupta said that a legal action has also been initiated against the land owner, whose land was being used for the illegal practice. Miners and the landowners are equally responsible for the illegal practice.
Giving breakups about the action taken by the department, he said that a total of 201 cases of illegal mining were registered against 189 persons in the past three months- May to July in this year. In the last three months, the highest number of illegal mining cases had been registered from Ludhiana, SBS Nagar, Hoshiarpur and Ropar. He said that 37 cases were registered in Ludhiana district, 29 in Hoshiarpur, 37 in SBS Nagar and 25 in Ropar. Similarly, 22 tractor-trolleys, 6 tippers and 2 JCB machines were seized in Ludhiana district, 29 tractor-trolleys, 40 tippers and 2 JCB machines were seized in SBS Nagar and 30 tractor-trolleys, 7 tippers / trucks and 2 JCB machines were seized in Hoshiarpur district.
