Crackdown on illegal sand mining in Ajnala

A joint task force of the Mining Department and the police busted an illegal sand mining operation in Ajnala on on Saturday.

The raid was monitored in real-time in Chandigarh via body-worn cameras, enabling senior officials in the headquarters to oversee the entire operation remotely.

Mining and Geology Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal pointed out that this innovative surveillance measure ensured transparency and allowed for immediate supervision of action from the headquarters.

The operation uncovered an illegal mining site in Dhingai village of Ajnala. The raiding teams confiscated an excavator involved in illegal mining.

Goyal said during the raid, officials found dubious agreement for extracting sand between Harpreet Singh and Jasbir Singh. “We are verifying the authenticity of the agreement,” he said.

Cops have been asked to file an FIR against the excavator and the landowner. All machinery involved in illegal mining had been impounded, said the minister.

He urged the people to inform the authorities concerned about any suspicious mining activity in their area.