Investigation teams have kept themselves on toes for the whole day on Monday, investigating the quantum of materials recovered from the seizure of vehicles during raids on Sunday. They are also hunting for the other suspects engaged in the illegal mining activities.
In a major breakthrough, the State anti-mining vigilance cell arrested a key partner involving a stone crusher based at luxor from his Haridwar residence. He was later sent to jail.
As a part of routine activity of conducting surprise checks, the anti-mining vigilance cell team led by IG Sanjay Gunjyal have raided riverbeds in Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar districts many a time over the past one year.
Speaking to The Pioneer about the recent raid, chief executive officer of anti-mining vigilance cell, IG Sanjay Gunjyal said, “We have initiated the action against the stone crushers operating from luxor and sent one of the operators, Sachin Goyal behind prison bars. The investigation is on and we are hunting for clues to nail others involved in the illegal act.
Once their charges are verified charge- sheets would be prepared and filed against the miscreants and stringent actions would be taken against them thereafter. We would spare no one and pull out all the stops to end the menace once and for all,” he asserted.
As per the sources, the owner of Ganesh stone crusher based at luxor, Sachin was a patron of the ongoing illegal mining activities in the Ganga riverbed in the region. He was allegedly spending nearly two and a half lakhs per day for robbing the Ganga riverbed of the mineral resources to use them in the stone crusher.
Speaking to The Pioneer, luxor Chowki in-charge said, “Sachin Goyal has been booked under sections 379, 411, 120 and Forest Act 4-21 and presented in the court of law. The search for his absconding supporters is on.”
Meanwhile, a long- time crusader for saving Ganga from the clutches of the illegal miners, Swami Shivanand, head of Matri Sadan ashram based in Jagjeetpur, has congratulated IG Gunjyal for his stringent action against the stone crusher. “It is a good effort, albeit a minor one. A lot more needs to be done in the matter. The mining material is still being brought by the stone crushers a part of which has been seized of late.” He also slammed the State forest minister Dinesh Agarwal for advocating the cause of Chugan (manual mining) and legal mining by machines for maintaining the level of Ganga riverbed. “He is lending roundabout support to illegal mining,” the seer added.