Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab affairs co-incharge Raghav Chadha on Saturday alleged that illegal sand mining is being carried out in chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s constituency Chamkaur Sahib as he paid a surprise visit to a village there.
Chadha made the accusations after he visited Jindapur village in Chamkaur Sahib on Saturday. Terming it an “expose”, the AAP leader also accused the ruling Congress of “patronising” the sand mafia
Addressing the media, Chadha said after becoming the chief minister, Channi had said that the sand mafia should not come to him and he was not the chief minister of sand mafia. “But now, the sand mafia is running its business under the protection of CM and that too in his area,” Chadha claimed.
He said as per their estimates, 800 to 1,000 trucks (tippers), loaded with sand were being taken out from the site. “Right under the CM’s nose and in his own constituency, this illegal activity is going on,” he alleged.
Chadha accused the CM of wrongly transferring a forest officer. “On November 22, forest officer Rajvansh Singh had written to the SHO and tehsildar of the area informing that the of Jindapur village falls under the Forest Conservation Act where no mining activity can be carried out. On November 23, a day after the letter, the Channi government ordered the transfer of the officer. This proves that the sand mafia is working under their protection,” the AAP leader said.
{{/usCountry}}Chadha accused the CM of wrongly transferring a forest officer. “On November 22, forest officer Rajvansh Singh had written to the SHO and tehsildar of the area informing that the of Jindapur village falls under the Forest Conservation Act where no mining activity can be carried out. On November 23, a day after the letter, the Channi government ordered the transfer of the officer. This proves that the sand mafia is working under their protection,” the AAP leader said.
{{/usCountry}}“Channi says the entire Punjab gets sand at ₹5 per ft, whereas the truth is that due to the mafia, people have to buy sand at ₹25 to 40 per ft,” he alleged.
When contacted, Rupnagar deputy commissioner Sonali Giri said: “It is a legal de-silting site.”