Crackdown on illegal mining in Punjab, 9 held

Chandigarh, March 15

Acting on the directions of CM Capt Amarinder Singh, the Punjab Police on Saturday swooped down on mining during night in six districts.

Nine persons were arrested in the special drive and 18 vehicles, including tractor-trailers, JCBs and tippers, impounded in Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar city, Jalandhar (rural), Moga and Fazilka, DGP Dinkar Gupta said. Nine cases have been filed.

The DGP said further investigations were and that similar raids would be carried out with the help of officers of the Mining Department. “The police will accompany the officers deputed by deputy commissioners,” he said. In Ropar, where night mining was hampered by rains, the raiding team nabbed three persons and impounded machinery.

In Moga, two persons were arrested and two tractor-trailers impounded. Efforts are on to arrest the owners. The DGP said the duty officer at Fazilka, on discovering that illegal operations were being carried out, filed an FIR under the Mines and Minerals Act, 1957. Eight tractor-trailers were seized.

A special drive late last night in Hoshiarpur led to the arrest of one person. In the Jalandhar Police Commissionerate, a case was registered against a farmer for mining his own fields. A JCB was also impounded.

In the sixth raid in Jalandhar (rural), four cases were registered and four persons arrested, Gupta said. Three tippers and a tractor-trailer were confiscated.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has reiterated his commitment to eliminate illegal mining in the state. — TNS