Now, residents pin hope on CM

Rajiv Mahajan

Residents of Tika Pael, Khanni Uperali, Gudli, Chogan and Gharthara are up in arms against the illegal mining mafia active in rural areas adjoining the Chakki rivulet in Nurpur. 

They have now appealed to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to intervene and stop this menace as it had ruined their agricultural land and resulted in environment degradation. 

Led by Hoshiar Singh, the delegation met the local SDM recently and submitted a memorandum to the CM recently alleging that a mining mafia was active in their area. They alleged that the mafia was extracting minerals, which have been banned by the NGT and the High Court, and selling it to stone crushers in Punjab. 

They lamented that underground water resources and irrigation schemes were drying up and residents were getting erratic water supply after a gap of four to five days.

Inactive cops, Mining Dept 

The residents alleged that the police and Mining Department authorities remain inactive as and when any information of illegal mining is passed on to them. Copies of memorandums were also submitted to the district administration and industries minister Vikram Singh Thakur. 

SDM Nurpur Surinder Thakur said he had asked the police and mining authorities to check the menace of illegal mining in the affected areas.

Intriguingly, the district administration had installed a number of CCTV cameras near Chakki rivulet, but these were stolen a few months ago. Illegal mining activities were controlled till these cameras were there, but soon the mafia became active again. The local police have, however, registered an FIR in this connection, but the culprits still remain untraced. 

Three stone crushers still operating illegally

Meanwhile, Hoshiar Singh alleged that three stone crushers were still operating illegally despite their official closure in Kandwal and mining authorities had failed to take any action against these. He lamented that some of the stone crushers were indulging in illegal mining in other places, for which they had not been given land lease permissions. He said the earth-moving machines had created big and deep trenches in rural area adjoining Chakki rivulet for extracting raw material for stone crusher units, restricting the movement of cattle and human beings.

Notably, local MLA Rakesh Pathania during the previous Congress regime had raised the plight of farmers related to illegal mining activities at every platform and now, he also raised the issue in the Vidhan Sabha. The issue of illegal mining in Chakki rivulet had also figured prominently in the chargesheet prepared by the BJP against the previous Virbhadra Singh government, but the present government seems to be helpless in curbing the menace. 

Environmentalists have demanded deployment of a special armed police battalion and re-install wireless CCTV cameras on the Chakki riverbed to curb illegal mining activities. Law enforcing authorities said the weak Mines and Mineral Act was proving a deterrent for people involved in illegal mining.

Special armed police battalion sought

Environmentalists have demanded deployment of a special armed police battalion and re-installation of wireless CCTV cameras on the Chakki riverbed to curb illegal mining activities. Law enforcing authorities said the weak Mines and Mineral Act was proving a deterrent for people involved in illegal mining.