Mining tragedy

ILLEGAL mining in the Aravallis led to yet another tragedy when a labourer was killed and three others were seriously injured as a hillock collapsed while the hazardous activity was being done in the dead of night at Deeg, Rajasthan, near the border with Haryana on Sunday. In nearby Bhiwani, five labourers were buried under the debris after a landslide at a mining site in January last year. The Dadam mining zone in Bhiwani witnessed two fatal accidents in April 2022, with a dumper driver and a worker being crushed to death.

Even in authorised zones, workers are generally deprived of protective gear by the miners. The safety rules are violated with impunity as sand and gravel are allegedly mined in the ecologically fragile Aravallis and surrounding areas by a mafia in league with powerful politicians and officials. Despite the Supreme Court ruling to ban mining in the Aravallis and the registration of hundreds of cases against violators, hardly any case has ended in conviction. It has only emboldened the criminals to do away with any one — even law enforcement officials — coming in the way of their nefarious activities. The audacious murder of Surender Singh, a DSP who was checking illegal mining in Haryana’s Nuh in July 2022, is still fresh in public memory.

The Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan governments need to form a special task force to jointly take on the powerful criminals. After designating certain zones for mining, the force must strictly enforce compliance with mining rules and regulations. Saving the hills, forests and riverbeds is essential for conserving biodiversity and geodiversity, which are vital for sustaining life.