Friday, June 22, 2012
llegal mining on despite stay by SC Understaffed department unable to check mafia (Times of India 13 June 2012)
FARIDABAD: The illegal sand mining near the Yamuna in Faridabad may have halted temporarily after a constable was mowed down by the sand mafia men but residents of the nearby villages say it's just a matter of time before it resumes. They say there is little check on illegal mining on the 40km river front between Faridabad and Palwal.
Despite a Supreme Court stay order on sand mining in the two districts, violators go to the sites late in the night and leave with truck loads of sand by early morning. Villagers allege sand mining has been happening with the active support of local police. When a TOI team visited these sites, there were fresh tyre marks of dumpers and tractors. Villagers said that mining happens at night.
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The 212 FIRs filed against the violators in the past two years have failed to act as a deterrent, say officials of the mining department. "In almost every case, the accused have been arrested but they are soon out on bail. We have been carrying out raids and placing pickets at night to catch the offenders," says local mining engineer MP Sharma. Sources say 1,500 cases have been registered for the offence of illegal mining across Haryana.
The department has just five inspectors and 15 guards. "There is no organized mafia here. Those involved in sand mining are local players," Sharma says. However, an insider in the mining business said each truck sells for around Rs 10,000 and none else than the "identified" operators can even enter the sites.
Last year, mines and geology department of Haryana government had auctioned minor mineral quarries and had granted short-term permit for four months to private players. But a case was filed against the auctions in SC and then there was the stay order
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