Irregular drives being conducted by the Illegal Mining Prevention Vigilance Unit (IMPVU) in th riverbed areas of the State, especially in Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Dehradun districts, is failing to have much impact. The menace is rather continuing unimpeded in these districts with the unit remaining bereft of any spunk to take on the mafias.
Moreover, the senior State Government officers are not taking initiatives to coordinate efforts to effectively stop illegal quarrying on the riverbed areas. Their performance is also dismal when it comes to ensure mitigation of the flood risk by way of removing limited amount of silt and riverbed materials.
With things remaining sluggish, the state government is facing flaks from all quarters. IMPVU was formed by the state government in December 2013 to stop illegal mining activities along the riverbed areas of the state.
Matri Sadan chief Swami Shivanand has been on stir while resorting to fasting from time to time against illegal mining activities in Ganga. He holds the nexus between a section of the administrative officials and the mining mafia responsible for the continuance of such unauthorized mining. He further alleges that the state government is violating the orders of the Union ministry of environment and forest, Supreme Court and High Court on mining with ulterior motives.
leaders of various political parties are also vociferous over the state government cutting a sorry figure on the matter of curbing the menace. In the past, IMPVU used to conduct raids in riverbed areas and slap the illegal mining operators with heavy penalties.
However, things slowed down with IMPVU in-charge being given multiple responsibilities. “This resulted in the unit losing the spirit to carry on with the drives with the previous vigour. They became erratic consequently to the glee of the law violators. Besides, police, political executives and mining mafias having share in the same pie is demoralising the unit as far as continuance of the drive is concerned,” an observer said.
Recently, State Chief Minister Harish Rawat has directed the district police heads to act tough on illegal mining activities. The district police officers will be made to account for such activities being reported from their jurisdictional areas, the state government said. Citing this, an observer said CM Rawat seems to have lost confidence in IMPVU. “Hence his direct call to the district police heads,” he added.