leader of the Opposition Ajay Bhatt said on Tuesday that the Harish Rawat Government has been dancing to the strings held by the mining mafias to the detriment of the economic and other interests of the State. “This is a natural corollary of those running the Government presently having committed to protect the interests of these mafias for one year in return of support from them when the new Government was being ushered in with Vijay Bahuguna exiting the scene,” he said.
“This sell-out can account for the Government choosing to reject outright all the allegations we raise on the matter,” he added. Bhatt said the mining mafias are thriving thanks to the Government holding its protective umbrella over them. “Chief Minister keeps consistently averring that no illegal mining is occurring in the State. But the reality is different with these mafias trashing the administrative officers mandated to stop the menace. Even the common people who dare challenge them are being bumped off with impunity,” the BJP leader said.
Taking cudgels at the ruling party on the emotive issue, he further said the near and dear ones of the ruling party leaders have share in the mining pie. Notably, massive police drives against illegal mining activities are now underway in Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital and Dehradun districts. The police teams claimed to have confiscated mining materials and equipments.
They have impounded 82 dumpers, 20 tractor trolleys, nine trucks, five JCBs and one Pokeland vehicles. The teams seized four stone-crushers and large amounts of illegal mining materials, it is learnt. Such ‘success’ being flaunted to show the Government’s earnestness to stamp out the menace has, however, spawned questions over how around 100 dumpers, tractors and trucks allegedly carrying minerals from the riverbed areas could have been seized by police in a span of 24 hours.
Things are going on for days and one- day operation is nothing to stamp out the menace. Had police conducted such drives daily the State might have earned huge revenue from the count of illegal mining, swelling coffers for all-round development of the under-developed State, the critics said. “What is intriguing is that whenever police plunges into drives, the State sends messengers so that he will assist police to identify those related to the leaders. Such developments vindicate our charge that things are happening with State Government conniving them.
The mafias do not mind paying penalties, knowing they would earn 100 or 200 times more the penalty amount they would shell out by way of penalties,” Bhatt said. “Now things have come to such a pass that Government has empowered those who are themselves involved in illegal mining to identify and bring the mafias to book. A farce is what is going on in the name of anti-illegal mining operation,” he said.