Quarrying on the Ganga riverbed stretch from Raiwala to Bhogpur remains completely prohibited. In case of complaints regarding illegal mining, the Haridwar district magistrate will ensure stringent action. Chief Minister Harish Rawat said this while talking to representatives of Matri Sadan Ashram on Friday.
The CM assured the delegation that the State Government remains committed to taking action as per the decision taken by him in the past regarding quarrying for sand and gravel in the Ganga.
Taking action as per the decision, mining lease has been cancelled in the area concerned. Stating that the government respects members of the religious fraternity, the CM requested the Matri Sadan representatives to make Swami Shivananda end his protest.
Rawat said, “An expert committee will be formed for time bound study of the ecological and river morphological aspects related to quarrying for sand, gravel and boulder on the Ganga riverbed. This expert committee will be made up of a representative of Matri Sadan along with members from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Geology and Mining unit, Dredging Corporation of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the State Irrigation Department. As per the agreement reached in the past, mining work will remain completely prohibited in the area until the expert committee enquiry report validates necessity for quarrying in the said area.”
He further stated that the State Government has taken strict action against illegal quarrying. Conducting raids on a large scale, action has also been taken against those found involved in illegal mining with heavy penalty being imposed on them, added Rawat. Regarding Matri Sadan’s demand for extending the Ardh Kumbh Mela area, the CM said that the government will attempt to facilitate agreement among all the sides concerned.
Apart from the Matri Sadan representatives, chief principal secretary to CM Rakesh Sharma, additional chief secretary S Raju and Haridwar district magistrate Harbansh Singh Chugh were also present in the meeting.