Different associations of the State Forest department employees of Kotdwar range have threatened to cease work from July 29 indefinitely if police fail to arrest the accused involved in cases of intimidation and obstruction by the goons of the illegal miners. They took the cease-work decision at a meeting held in Kotdwar on Wednesday.
Despite the administration and police came down heavily on illegal mining - 43 such cases have surfaced and Rs 9,52,050 have been collected as fine since January 2015 - illegal mining has been thriving particularly in Kotdwar region under Pauri district.
Things are grim as those quarrying Malani and Khho river banks in Kotdwar have targeted the Forest department employees who are engaged in stopping such activities.
Even incidents of attacks on them are on the rise. Such incident happened on July 19 as the forest constable Jagvir Singh and some other forest employees of Kotdwar range of lansdowne forest division were threatened of dire consequences when they tried to stop a tractor laden with illegally acquired mining stones.
The Kotdwar Police, however, registered a case under Section 147, 332, 353, 323 and 506 of Indian Penal Code against Raju Bisht, Pramod Bhaukhandi, Sanju Gusain and Sandeep acting on the complaints lodged by Jagvir Singh on the same day. But anger has been smouldering in the forest employees with Kotdwar police having failed to arrest any of the accused.
Things culminate in the cease-work threat from 29 July. The refrain among the forest employees of the division is that such miners and their goons are reigning with some political leaders, revenue department and police officials keeping protective umbrellas unfurled over them.
However, the Forest department seemed to have sat up regarding the menace as the divisional forest officer has started doing official work on the bank of Malini river for some hours from Tuesday. This is deemed to give the message that the department would not brook illegal mining activities.
Kotdwar police have registered three cases since January against the illegal mining accused. In the case registered on 10 February, charge- sheet has been produced in the court, while probe is on regarding the cases registered on 23 June and 19 July.
According to Collectorate information, 43 cases of illegal mining detected so far include 12 from Srinagar Tehsil, 21 from Kotdwar, three from Pauri, six from Thallisain Tehsil and one from Chakisain.