In Ropar, illegal mining at centre of debate again

Ruchika M Khanna

Ropar, February 18

People are tired of how the illegal mining has played havoc with the already dilapidated road infrastructure, caused air pollution, made sand and gravel expensive, and how the syndication of business has taken away the related work of transport from the area residents.

The last major crackdown on illegal mining was in 2020, when 25 cases were registered in Ropar between June and August. Hundreds of excavators, tippers and tractor-trolleys were seized.

In March 2021, hundreds of villagers had staged a dharna for several days on the banks of Swan and Satluj rivers in Ropar, demanding a clampdown on the illegal mining mafia as the water table in villages was falling drastically.

There are 63 legal quarries auctioned by the state. Of these, 18 are functional, while hundreds of illegal sites are operational too. The government says sand is available at pithead for Rs 5.50 per cubic ft, but locals claim they get it for Rs 25 per cubic ft

Officially, about 121 lakh tonnes of sand and gravel reserves are estimated to be in Ropar district. Locals claim the extraction is ten times more than allowed by the department concerned.

Darshan Singh, a businessman, rues how the contracts of desilting the Sutlej bed are given as a cover-up for allowing the contractors to extract minerals without the NGT nod.

A visit to the spot by The Tribune team revealed that mining operations are being carried out all along the river bed, between the two major bridges.

Though the ED raids last month had halted the mining operations for now, the machinery — excavators, boats fitted with motors to separate sand from water and some tractors to ferry the minor minerals — is still lying here.

“We fear that once the poll process is over, the operations will start again,” says Bachitar Singh of Phool Kalan village.

In Lodhimajra village, Harjit Kumar complains that as the business has been syndicated, transporters from outside the state are hired, taking away their means of livelihood.

Last crackdown in 2020

The last major crackdown on illegal mining was in 2020, when 25 cases were registered in Ropar between June and August. Hundreds of excavators, tippers and tractor-trailers were confiscated by the police.