Acting swiftly on the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s orders to launch special operations to crackdown on sand mining, the Punjab Police has arrested nine persons, which led to the seizure of 18 vehicles being used illegally for mining in six districts.
Informing, the State Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said that the seizures, made during the raids conducted on Saturday night in Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar City, Jalandhar Rural, Moga and Fazilka, included JCBs, tractor trolley and tippers. So far, nine cases have been registered by the police, and further investigations are in progress, said the DGP.
The DGP said that similar raids will be carried out daily on the directives of the Chief Minister, who had received certain reports and complaints of illegal mining being carried out at night.
The special operations, to be conducted in all the concerned districts, will involve officers of the Mining Department, and the Police will accompany the civil officers deputed by the Deputy Commissioners.
Giving details of Saturday night’s operations, Gupta said that in Ropar, though the night mining was hampered by rains, the raiding team nabbed three people with two sets of machinery. In Moga, two persons were arrested with two tractors and trolleys, with FIR registered in Police Station city Moga. All-out efforts were on to arrest the owners as well, he said.
“Even though the mining was not supposed to be carried out in the area, the duty officer at Sadar Fazilka police station discovered illegal operations being carried out, and an FIR (dated March 14, 2020) was registered under the Mining and Minerals Act, 1957. Eight tractors, trolleys were seized in the raid.
A special checking drive last night in Hoshiarpur led to the arrest of one person and recovery of tractor trolleys along with implants. FIR has also been registered under sections 21(1) of Mining Mineral Act at Police Station Haryana, said the DGP.
In Jalandhar Commissionerate, one case was registered against a farmer for illegally mining his own fields in Sadar police station, and a JCB was taken into possession. In the sixth raid, in Jalandhar rural, four cases were registered and four persons arrested for indulging in night mining activity, said Gupta, adding that three tippers and one tractor trolley had been confiscated.
Meanwhile, reiterating his commitment to eliminate illegal mining completely from the state, Capt Amarinder said that all-out efforts were being made by the Government to check such mining activity.
Top officials of the districts where such mining was allegedly taking place, especially in the cover of darkness, had strict instructions to take immediate cognizance and action on any complaints, he said, warning that no laxity in this regard would be tolerated.
The DGP said that the Chief Minister had also directed the police to extend all support to the Mining Department and concerned district officials in the special raids against night mining. Every complaint was being taken seriously and nobody found guilty of involvement would be spared, he added.