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Chandigarh, Nov 4 (IANS) The BJP has alleged that in Majri block of Kharar assembly constituency, where according to the mining department of the Punjab government, not a single mining site exists, the mining mafia has illegally excavated several acres of land up to 50 feet.
Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state media head Vineet Joshi, who visited the area along with Majri Mandal president Mohit Gautam and his colleagues, said, “Not only this, they have also destroyed part of the unpaved road connecting Kubaheri to Khizarabad.”
Joshi said illegal mining worth more than Rs 1,000 crore takes place every year in villages like Khizarabad, Kubahedi, Abhipur, Miyanpur, Mirzapur and others under Kharar tehsil. “This not only causes massive financial loss to the state but also causes irreparable damage to the environment, making life miserable for people living in nearby villages,” he said in a statement.
The mining department itself officially admits that part of the link road between Kubahedi and Khizrabad has been destroyed by the mining mafia. “Yet, no action is being taken by the Mining Department, Panchayat Department, Rural Development Department, Mandi Board, Deputy Commissioner (DC), or Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM),” Joshi said.
He said it was shocking that the 25 to 30 crushers operating in the Majri block operate only at night and remain closed during the day. Joshi said, “Wrongdoings are done only under the cover of darkness.”
“If these crushers were inspected as per the rules, not a single one would be found valid,” Joshi alleged. He claimed that the mining mafia manages to obtain permission to run crushers and screening plants by colluding with officials at various levels of the Punjab government – state, district, block and tehsil. After that, they openly violate various environmental laws and Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.
He said that under environmental laws, every crusher is required to maintain a three-layer green cover around its premises, but no crusher in the area follows this rule. Despite being fully aware of this situation, DC, SDM and other officials are silent.
Joshi said, “It seems that the Punjab Police, Mining Department, Pollution Control Board, DC, SDM, DSP and SSP, all have thrown the orders and reports of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the dustbin and have joined hands with the mining mafia. Otherwise, illegal mining on such a large scale would not have been possible.”
–IANS
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