Guhla-Cheeka | April 11, 2015:
Illegal mining in the Ghaggar river near Sarola siphon goes unchecked
In spite of a ban on mining imposed by the Supreme Court, long queues of tractor-trolleys and trucks laden with sand removed illegally from the bed of Sarola Siphon of the Ghaggar river is a common sight in this city.
But the police, mining, irrigation departments and other authorities seem ignorant of this illegal activity.
When this correspondent today visited the site at Sarola village in Kaithal district, several trucks with five JCB machines were removing sand. A sand-laden truck was being sold for Rs 2,000, while a big trolley and a small trolley were available for Rs 700 and Rs 500, respectively.
While sand-laden tractor-trolleys parked in Guhla Cheeka. Tribune photos
Members of the sand mafia who were keeping a watch from a bridge on the Ghaggar were armed with lathis and other weapons. They intercepted a car of this correspondent on the bridge and inquired about his identity. Posing as a customer, this correspondent showed them a fictitious map of a house. On being assured that nothing was suspicious, members of the mafia said good quality of sand would be provided.
“Officers ko sab pata hai. Aap tension mat lo (Officers know everything about us. You need not worry),” said Raminder, who assured this correspondent to deliver sand to his home when expressed apprehension of legal action.
The sand-laden trucks are not stopped while crossing Cheeka and majority of them are parked on the Guhla Cheeka-Kaithal road and other roads since drivers take a break to relax before starring for their destinations.
“It (illegal mining) has been going on for than a month. Several incidents of rash driving by sand-laden truck drivers have been reported, but no action has been taken. The sand mafia operates in connivance with the authorities concerned. Since no official pays heed to villagers’ complaints, they have stopped complaining,” said Sukhwinder, a farmer from Khushhal Majra village.
Executive Engineer Iqbal Saini said the administration had allotted a tender for cleaning the siphon to ensure smooth flow of water. When told that the riverbed was being dug up half a kilometer away the siphon, Saini asked this correspondent to meet him in his office and did not give a satisfactory reply.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Veer Singh Kaliraman expressed ignorance of the mining activity, while Deputy Commissioner (DC) K M Pandurang assured to take action against the mining mafia. “The Supreme Court has banned mining. It cannot be done at any cost. I will take strict action,” the DC added.
(Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/)