Politics seems to have come in the way of the State Government to deal with the illegal mining that goes unabated in Uttarakhand.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat's summing up the issue of 'illegal' mining during his visit here by directing the officials concerned of administrations of Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar to strictly deal with the ‘mafia’ involved in illegal mining and other such activities only gives that impression. Whereas the State Government is yet to resolve the demand of traders for bringing 13.5 per cent VAT on mining to 5 per cent, illegal mining continues here causing a huge loss to the State exchequer.
Killing of an ex-student leader Pratap Bisht in Shaktifarm in Sitarganj on Saturday is also been in the same reason of gang war among the rival groups over illegal mining in the Terai-belt of Uttarakhand.The fact of the matter is that though here the Gola river is opened by the State Government for collection of riverbed materials, traders including the vehicle owners are not collecting the riverbed materials following stalemate over the aforesaid VAT issue.
More than 50,000 workforce in terms of labourers and 7,000 vehicle owners are engaged in collection of riverbed materials only from the Gola river in Haldwani. Thousands of labourers are presently rendered ‘jobless’ following disruption in the collection of the riverbed materials here from the Gola river and other rivers in the Terai region due to hike in VAT on mining from 5 per cent to 13.5 per cent.
Since the work related to collection of riverbed materials remains disrupted since its commencement in November this year on account of hike in VAT from 5 per cent to 13.5 per cent, so thousands of labourers remain ‘jobless’. The traders associated with this trade have also taken to the street in protest against hike in VAT from 5 per cent to 13.5 percent on the mining. But the issues have not yet been resolved.
So the stalemate over the VAT issue has only given rise to illegal mining and criminal activities in the region, as has been witnessed in the case of a seven year old girl's rape cum murder case recently in Hadlwani. The suspects arrested in this gruesome case of crime are those who were associated with the same trade of collection of riverbed materials here from the Gola river. But the State Government seems little serious about tackling this issue.
Now the killing of an ex-student union leader in Shatifarm in Sitarganj on Saturday is also seen as part of alleged gang war among the rival groups over illegal mining in the Terai-belt of Uttarakhand. Meanwhile, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, MP from Nainital- Udham Singh lok Sabha seat, has accused the State Government of being failed to maintain law and order in the State. Paying tribute to the deceased, student leader Bisht Koshyari alleged that due to inability of this State Government to maintain peace and law and order there is no fear among the criminals in the region.