Punjab Congress on Thursday asked the chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to take suo motu notice of political patronage given to the illegal mining in the State.
“Illegal mining of sand and gravel in Punjab has patronage of the ruling SAD-BJP alliance and police has become a tool in the hands of mining mafia. I request the Chief Justice to take suo motu notice of political connivance in illegal mining,” said Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa.
Bajwa said that illegal mining was rampant in Pathankot and surrounding areas mainly in bed of Ravi river and Chakki rivulet. “Sand in other districts through the illegal mining was being carried out under police protection,” he added.