With the anti-illegal mining operations by seemingly hyper-active police raging on in several districts of Uttarakhand with trucks, allegedly carrying illegally mined materials, being impounded daily and the owners being slapped with hefty fines, the truck operators have alleged that they are being made scapegoats with administrative officers, police and the mining mafia enjoying the spoils of unauthorised mining among themselves.
Devbhoomi Building Material Suppliers and Truck Operators Welfare Committee president Anil Pandey said while interacting with mediapersons in Dehradun on Wednesday that the State Government is flaunting its achievement by having their trucks, trolleys and tractors seized. This is despite the fact that the truck operators are showing relevant documents to the officers concerned during such drives.
Pandey wondered 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 mere 24 hours.
He said illegal mining activities keep thriving in the State, courtesy the unholy and palpable nexus among local police station officers, sub-divisional magistrates and the mining mafias. However, police are swooping down on them, the truck operators, while letting the real culprits off the hook. “They cannot dare to, as they have share in the same pie,” he said.
All the truck operators pay sale taxes to the State Government. Why are we being singled outIJ Does it amount to witch-hunting on the part of the State Government, to spare the real perpetrators of the crimes and their henchmen and to jockey for credit through presenting us as sacrificial lambsIJ” he asked.
Pandey further said that the committee members are for the Chief Minister to go for an impartial probe into the alleged seizure of trucks. “We should be represented in the committee to present our view of the matter,” he said.
According to him, trucks carrying mining from neighbouring States are also being seized by the tehsildars and police officials concerned and slapped fines upto Rs26,500 on the truck operators.
It should be mentioned here that following the direction of State DGP BS Sidhu, massive police had launched drives against illegal mining activities in Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital and Dehradun districts over the past few days. The police teams claimed to have confiscated mining materials and equipments. They have so far confiscated 82 dumpers, 20 tractor trolleys, nine trucks, five JCBs and one Pokeland vehicle in course of the drives. The teams seized four stone-crushers and large amounts of illegal mining materials too.
DGP Sidhu had recently said that sub-divisional magistrates concerned and mining department officers must launch drives to stamp out the illegal quarrying menace. Police have limited power when it comes to taking action against illegal mining activities, he had added. The State Government has recently formed a unit-IMPVU-and its teams have been bestowed with some powers to take action against unauthorised mining activities. The drive would continue relentlessly till the menace is stopped, the senior cops said, seemingly unfazed by the critical glare falling on such ‘vigorous’ operations.