Lax laws hamper operations against illegal mining

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, September 21

Lax mining laws are hampering police efforts to check illegal mining in Kangra district. The Kangra police have launched a drive against illegal mining in the district. Overall 1,800 vehicles were challaned and fined about Rs 84 lakh for being involved in illegal mining.

However, all these vehicles were released after the owners paid meagre fines ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 25,000 within a day or two. After the release, the impounded machines once again got involved in illegal mining.

Talking about poor infrastructure, a senior police official said on the condition of anonymity that just one official vehicle was available with the police at each police station. Even this vehicle was not fit to trek the riverbeds where the illegal mining operations take place. Many times raids were carried out in the wee hours as the illegal mining operations go on at the time. Sometimes police vehicles get struck in marshy riverbeds which ironically, had to be taken out using the confiscated JCBs.

The officials involved in campaign against illegal mining pointed out that in case the government was serious in checking the illegal mining the vehicles impounded, especially heavy vehicles as JCBs and tippers, should not be released after imposing minor fine of Rs 25,000. The law should be made as stringent as the Forest Act under which vehicles involved in offences are released only by the courts.

Generally, the JCB machine that earns about Rs 2,000 per hour in illegal mining operations recovers the fine imposed within just one day. So the owners of JCB machines do not take the offence seriously and repeat the crime, the police officials said.

Absence of proper demarcation on the Punjab-Himachal border, especially in Nurpur and Indora subdivisions of Kangra district, is also a factor that goes against the efforts in controlling the illegal mining.

Many times Himachal police officials come across illegal miners in the said areas. They get away on the plea that they were mining in Punjab area and not in the Himachal area. Sources here said the issue has been taken up by revenue officials of both the states. The boundary demarcation operation was started in summers but could not be completed. It is likely to start after monsoons, sources here said.