Jodhpur | May 24, 2016: In a first, commercial vehicles engaged in illegal mining on forest land were declared as government asset by the forest department. All these vehicles had been seized by the forest department in a raid conducted in Beriganga forest division on March 15.

Assistant conservator of forests Devendra Singh Bhati said all these vehicles have been confiscated under Section 52 of the amended Rajasthan Forest Act 1953 following an application by the concerned regional forest officer for their use in crime on forest land.

The department had seized eight tractors with compressors and two earth movers in a joint raid with the district administration on March 15 on a conserved forest land at Brahmanon ka Tanka under the Beriganga forest division.

Besides, an FIR has also been registered against eight persons, whom these vehicles belonged to under the Forest Act. Bhati said that this confiscation would be a message for those engaged in illegal mining on forest land.

Following a PIL in the Rajasthan High Court against the illegal and unabated mining in this division, a ban had been imposed on May 15, 2012 while disposing of the petition. But even this order of the high court failed to stop mining in the area.

Finally, the forest department and the district administration conducted a raid here on March 15. Besides seizing the vehicles engaged in the mining, the forest department has also seized the stones and blocks lying in these mines, which are over 200 in count.

"We have confiscated the stone stock also and are currently marking them with numbers," said Bhati assuring that the department has put in adequate measures that the illegal mining did not raise its head here again.

For this, the department has besides digging deep trenches on the path leading to this area, has also obstructed the routes with huge boulders. Forest guards have also been roped in to keep a keen eye on the activities of illegal mining in the area.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)