Illegal mining restarts in Nuh; Police, admin join hands to tackle menace

According to officials, authorities have deployed drones to surveil areas prone to illegal mining. Announcements are also made in villages frequently asking people not to aid illegal miners and to desist from such activities

The Nuh police and the district administration on Thursday said they have launched a joint operation to tackle illegal stone mining in the Aravallis, after instances of the activity resurfaced, following a brief lull brought about by an interdistrict crackdown in the wake of the killing of deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Surender Singh on July 19.

Nuh police booked nine people on September 18 on charges of illegal mining in Kharak Jalalpur village in Tauru. The activity was not detected during drone surveys but teams noticed movement of trucks and people in the hillocks. (HT Photo)

DSP Singh was run over and killed allegedly by a dump truck involved in illegal mining in Pachgaon village while he was following up on a lead on some miners. The DSP’s death put the spotlight on the illegal mining in Nuh and resulted in a concerted effort by the state to bring the activity to a halt and book the culprits.

Nuh police booked nine people on September 18 on charges of illegal mining in Kharak Jalalpur village in Tauru. The activity was not detected during drone surveys but teams noticed movement of trucks and people in the hillocks.

According to officials, authorities have deployed drones to surveil areas prone to illegal mining. Announcements are also made in villages frequently asking people not to aid illegal miners and to desist from such activities.

An eight-member joint police and district mining department team has set up nakas for the next 10 days to keep a check on illegal mining and dumper trucks carrying stones in the region. Interstate police nakas have also been set up since August 29 this year.

Mining officials said locals are still resorting to illegal mining and use cattle grazers as their informers and lookout teams. “The illegally mined stones are used for local construction and we are checking villages where people are constructing houses. We are also checking construction material lying around construction sites and their bills,” Anil Kumar, Nuh mining officer, said on Thursday.

He further said teams saw a few locals extracting stones last Sunday and also spotted a tractor parked nearby. “We received tip-offs following which we started conducting raids in the area,” Kumar said.

Police are checking all vehicles and their permits to ensure that illegally mined stones are not transported from Nuh, under the guise of stones quarried in Rajasthan, where the activity is permitted.

Varun Singla, superintendent of police, said, “Our teams are patrolling all areas prone to illegal mining. We have activated our informers who are keeping a close watch on the hillocks and people involved in extracting stones and transporting them. They are visiting all villages and meeting village chiefs to spread awareness.”

Singla said police teams are deployed at all suspicious locations throughout the night, and they are taking stringent action against those involved in illegal mining.

Kumar said the mining department has formed a team which is conducting a drive to spread awareness in villages using loudspeakers.

“A vehicle has been deployed for this purpose and it is visiting at least six villages daily. We have recorded several messages that are played for an hour in each village. The team is also visiting crushing units across the district. We have identified several units and spots where illegal mining activities take place but no such activity has been reported in the past week,” he said.