Admn cracks down on illegal mining in Baijnath
Palampur, August 29
In a joint operation, officials of the Baijnath administration, Mining Department and a police team headed by DSP Anil Sharma seized one JCB machine and four tractor-trailers involved in illegal mining in Drug nullah near Baijnath last evening.
The team also raided some illegal mining sites in local rivulets.
DSP Anil Sharma told the media that the crackdown on illegal mining would continue in days to come as it had not only caused a huge loss to the exchequer, but also resulted in large-scale environmental degradation in the Baijnath area.
He said mining mafia had played havoc with local rivulets and the Binwa river besides forest land. He said hundreds of deep trenches could be seen on the riverbed in the Baijnath area.
Notwithstanding issuance of challans and levying of heavy penalty under the Mines and Minerals Act, the mining mafia is active in Baijnath. Welcoming the police action, local residents said the mining mafia had damaged local roads, paths, cremation grounds and water supply schemes in the area. Besides, local rivulets that had plenty of water earlier have now gone dry because of rampant illegal mining.
It is learnt that there are over 100 tractor-trailers, either without registration number plates or registered for agricultural operations that are involved in illegal mining in the Binwa river and other rivulets. The DSP said the police were verifying the names of owners of the machinery involved in the illegal mining for taking necessary action against them.
During a meeting with Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police recently, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had given a free hand to the police and mining departments to deal with the mafia with the iron hand. The Chief Minister had categorically stated he would not like to see any headlines in newspapers pertaining to illegal mining in the state.
