Despite ban, illegal mining rampant in Palampur rivers

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, July 14

Even as the Himachal Pradesh Government had imposed a complete ban on mining and quarrying in all rivers and rivulets last week in view of the monsoon season, the practice is going on unchecked in the Neugal and Mol khuds of the Palampur region. The government had also suspended all mining leases in the rivers for two months or till the end of the monsoon season.

During a visit to different parts of the lower areas of Palampur, a Tribune team was witness to rampant illegal mining in the 30-km stretch of Neugal river between Bundla and Alampur in the absence of any check from the authorities.

Many villagers told The Tribune that the mining, police and forest departments had turned a blind eye to the practice and illegal mining was continuing.

As per the residents of Batthan, Dheera, Kasiana Mandir, they had been protesting against environmental degradation caused by the illegal mining. They said they had submitted memoranda to the Deputy Commissioner, SDM, DFO, Mining Department and police, but to no avail.

Several stretches of the river, which were untouched for the past 10 years, have now been opened for illegal mining by the mining mafia in collusion with the local authorities, they alleged.

Batthan panchayat pradhan Seema Devi and uppradhan Sat Pal said they had submitted written complaints to the district authorities at Dharamsala, but no action was taken against the offenders.

They said the level of the river had gone down by 5 to 7 feet because of large-scale extraction of stone and sand by using heavy machinery such as JCB machines. Village paths leading to the riverbed, local water sources and cremation grounds had suffered extensive damage because of reckless and unscientific mining, they added.

The villagers alleged that they had been facing court cases for their campaign launched against the illegal mining in the Thural area.

Illegal mining on a large-scale was seen in broad daylight at Kasina Mandir, Panappar, Dheera, Alampur and near Saurabh Van Vihar. Dozens of tractor-trailers and Tempos were busy lifting material from the banks of Neugal river. Though the Mining and Forest Departments had dismantled roads constructed by the mining mafia to riverbeds many times, these stretches were restored in no time. A lack of coordination between the police and the Mining Department has made the matters worse.

Due to the alleged apathy of the administration and police, Mining and Forest Departments, illegal and unscientific mining was flourishing in the area.