17 stone crushers, screening plants ‘threat’ to Yamuna banks

As illegal mining poses a threat to the Yamuna embankment/bundh, the Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Yamunanagar, has recommended shifting of 17 stone crushers and screening plants five km away from the embankment in the area of Belgarh village.

The department wrote a letter to Deputy Commissioner Captain Manoj Kumar requesting him to shift all stone crushers and screening plants falling under 500 metre area of the river embankment.

The department is constructing a bundh (covering about 7,000 feet area) to strengthen this portion of the embankment where erosion had reportedly started due to illegal mining a few years ago, posing a flood threat in the area.

As per the letter written in November 2024, there is a bund of the Irrigation Department in the area falling under Belgarh village. The letter reads that an SDO of the department, who visited the area on October 15, 2024, informed the higher authorities of the department illegal mining was being carried out in the land situated close to the bundh.

He said as per guidelines of the Mines and Geology Department, no mining would be allowed within 500 metre area of the embankment of a river.

He said several stone crushers and screening plants were being operated within 500 metre area of the embankment of the river and there was a need to check documents of these plants. Owners of these plants were carrying out illegal mining close to the river embankment.

Sources said these screening plants were being operated with the help of officials of departments concerned, including Mines and Geology, Yamunanagar.

They said owners of the some plants were either excavating agriculture land illegally in connivance with the owners of the land or carrying out illegal mining inside the river to steal raw mining minerals, bazri, gravel and sand.

Sandeep Kumar, Executive Engineer of the Water Services Division, Jagadhri, said the Irrigation Department was constructing a bundh to strengthen the embankment of the Yamuna in the area of Belgarh village.

“We have written to the Deputy Commissioner requesting him to shift stone crushers and screening plants, falling within 500 metre area of the embankment of the Yamuna, five km away from the area of Belgarh village,” said Executive Engineer Sandeep Kumar.