Illegal mining in Ghanaur: FIRs lodged, but no action so far

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Ghanaur, February 22

Almost over a month after the registration of FIRs into illegal mining in over 10 villages in Ghanaur, from where sand worth crores is missing, the mining and the police departments are yet to make recoveries. They are “officially” clueless as to who pocketed the profits.

With four FIRs and cases against landowners from where illegal sand was missing, the two departments are yet to identify the actual mafia kingpins.

Except for names of aged landowners in two of the four FIRs, the police have not identified any big fish who plundered, ferried and sold the illegal sand worth crores.

Sources said following pressure from senior cops, an FIR against the same mafia was earlier registered in August and later in October 2020 and the work came to a standstill. “With farmers busy with protests against the farm laws, the mafia, in connivance with local cops, became active in the area again and no one dares to report,” a villager said. He alleged that the Shambhu police was reluctant to act on their complaints. More than half a dozen villages adjoining Ghanaur are witnessing unbridled sand mining. Villages of Rajgarh, Nanhera, Chamaru and Bathonian, apart from a couple of others, are the “hotbed of unlawful mining”.

Meanwhile, when asked as to how much financial damage the mining mafia has caused in Ghanaur and Rajpura, Assistant Mining Officer-cum-SDO (Drainage) Raghav Garg said they were yet to calculate the total loss. “We have issued notices to the landowners and will fine them after the notice period is over,” Garg added.

Ghanaur DSP Jaswinder Tiwana said efforts to identify the real mafia, was still pending. “I will ask the SHO, Shambhu, to expedite the probe in all illegal mining-related FIRs and identify the accused who made profits or who sold this sand. Investigation report has to be submitted in the court,” he said.