Hillocks levelled as illegal miners deploy heavy machines in Himachal Pradesh's Una

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala (HP), March 31

Illegal mining with the help of JCB and Poclain machines continues to be rampant in parts of Una along the Punjab border, so much so that hillocks have been levelled at several points.

Editorial: Illegal mining

A few environmentalists said it was shocking to notice the extent of illegal mining in Shivalik hills, the mined material being allegedly smuggled to the neighbouring state. The maximum damage, they alleged, was in Una and Haroli Assembly constituencies of Una district.

Mined material flowing to Punjab

• The mined material is allegedly being smuggled from Una to neighbouring Punjab
• Despite ban, heavy machines like JCBs and Poclains being used for the excavation of minerals
• The ecology is under threat and several animal species have been facing loss of habitat

Talking to The Tribune, environmentalist Prabhat Bhatti said an entire hillock had been levelled in Bangarh while considerable damage could be noticed in Polian and Kudharbit. “Due to levelling of the hillocks, the ecology is under threat. Several animal species have been facing loss of habitat,” he said.

The Himachal Congress Government took a tough stance against illegal mining in the aftermath of the monsoon disaster last year. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had ordered the closure of 130 stone crushers located on the Beas basin, though 80 of these have since been allowed to operate.

BJP leaders, including former Industries Minister Bikram Thakur, have been alleging that while crushers in Kangra were closed, those in Una and other parts of Himachal were being allowed to operate with impunity.

Interestingly, the Himachal government’s mining policy doesn’t allow the use of JCB machines. The stone crusher industry has for long been demanding that it should be allowed to use up to 80 bhp machines for mining operations, as is the norm in Punjab. During the previous BJP government’s tenure, even a related policy was drafted, but it wasn’t implemented. “As such, influential people have been illegally using JCB and Poclain machines for mining in Una district,” said an environmentalist.

On the compliant of residents, the National Green Tribunal had ordered the Una administration to impose a fine of Rs 4 lakh on vehicles or machines found involved in illegal mining. However, no such penalty has been imposed so far. When in opposition, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who is the Haroli MLA, had been persistently raising the issue of illegal mining in Una district.

Joint Director (Industries) Anshul Dhiman said no complaint of illegal mining had come to their notice in the border areas of Una district. “We will get the matter investigated and take action as per law whenever any such case is detected,” he said.