Villagers seize JCB machine

Our Correspondent

Palampur, March 26

Resident of Dhirdh village in Sanhoon panchayat of Palampur today held a protest against illegal mining in the Mol khud near the village.

Hundreds of villagers had last night seized a JCB machine from the mining site. They also informed the district administration and requested it to register a case against the owner of the crusher. Later, the village panchayat also passed a resolution seeking immediate action against the mafia.

Talking to mediapersons Kamal Rana, V Bir Singh, Kushal Singh, Rajesh Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Hakikat Singh and Rajinder Singh said the illegal mining had posed a threat to the existence of the

village water supply scheme as JCB machines dug deep trenches near water tanks.

Villagers said despite a ban, the large-scale illegal mining was going on.

They said though the government and the high court had imposed a ban on the use of JCB machines for mining, the mafia had been doing it for the past one year under the nose of the authorities. Now, the villagers had decided to seize JCBs, tractor-trailers and earthmovers.

“Despite the repeated complaints and protests by locals, none initiated any action against the defaulters,” they added.

Now, the villagers had decided to take action and they would continue their fight against the illegal mining, they said.