Under fire, mining officer shunted out

Tribune News Service

Hisar, September 18

In the wake of allegations by residents of Khanak village and the issue raised by Congress MLA Karan Singh Dalal in the recent Assembly session regarding bungling in mining in Khanak zone in Bhiwani district, the state government has relieved the Head of Department (HoD), Mining, Panchkula, of his charge.

Chief Coordinator, Industries, Sunil Sharma, had held the charge of HoD Mining in the corporation for the past three years. The HSIIDC Managing Director relieved Sunil Sharma of the charge through an order on September 14.

Sharma confirmed to The Tribune that he had been transferred from the mining department. When asked about the allegations, he refused to comment.

The residents of Khanak village were upset as some houses in the village had been damaged due to blasting in the adjoining mines. The issue gathered pace when the house of Army personnel Satish Kumar was damaged in July. So he took up the issue with the district administration.

“Cracks are visible in around 700-800 houses. The cloud of dust is another major source of inconvenience,” Harish Kumar, a villager, said, adding the residential area is around 500-700m from the blasting site.

The villagers led by the sarpanch had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister holding Sharma responsible for their plight. They had requested the CM to provide an alternative place for them to move.