SAD alleges violations on Beas riverbed, department denies

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 30

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on his way back from Amritsar today conducted a “raid” after suspecting illegal mining on the Beas riverbed located along the national highway.

As Sukhbir, along with his cavalcade and mediapersons, reached the

spot, drivers ran away abandoning the mining machinery and JCBs.

He lodged a complaint against Cabinet Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and MLAs Santokh Singh Bhalaipur, Sukhpal Bhullar, Inderbir Bolaria, Ramanjit Singh Sikki and Kulbir Singh Zira. He also named mining kingpins Ashok Chandak, Rakesh Chaudhary and Mohan Pal while registering the complaint at the Beas police station.

Truck drivers who were allegedly being charged a ‘goonda tax’ of Rs 16,000 per truck filed a separate complaint against the sand mafia. On the other hand, a counter-complaint has been submitted by M/S Friends and Company to the Director General of Police, Punjab, and the SSP (rural) against Sukhbir, Amarpal Boney Ajnala, Virsa Singh Valtoha, and other SAD leaders for threatening its employees and obstructing the legal mining operations at the desilting site in Wazir Bhullar duly allotted to the company by the state government.

The Mining Department clarified that the place Sukhbir visited was a completely legal site and leaders “were trying to take political mileage with unfounded allegations of illegal mining”.