Spot check reveals signs of mining in Aravallis

After allegations of illegal mining in Gurugram surfaced, a spot check of the Aravalli forests at Teekli village, near Sohna Road, by HT showed fresh signs of stones being mined, with tractor tracker marks dotting the route and makeshift bridges in place for vehicles

After allegations of illegal mining in Gurugram surfaced, a spot check of the Aravalli forests at Teekli village, near Sohna Road, by HT showed fresh signs of stones being mined, with tractor tracker marks dotting the route and makeshift bridges in place for vehicles.

HT Image

Almost two kilometres inside the forest, a large hole was noticed on one particular hill, where holes made by drilling for blasting the rock using dynamite were also visible clearly. On the ground, large stones and loose sand was spotted along the way.

Anil Kumar, Gurugram’s mining officer said, “I will be sending my team to this particular location for an inspection. Our vigilance team is strong, but I am not denying that something like this might be happening illegally. Our team will inspect, check on what scale it is being done and action will be taken against those responsible.”

While coming out of the area, the team also noticed two tractors without any registration number plates going inside the forests. When asked, the drivers said that they were going to a nearby village. While the tractor marks extended for almost two kilometres, the makeshift bridges were made using sacks of construction and demolition waste.

Gurugram’s deputy commissioner Yash Garg also said that the administration will take action after inspecting the area.

On April 2, HT had reported that a group of environmentalists claimed to have found evidence of large-scale stone mining in the Aravallis near Gurugram.

Talking about the area where the makeshift bridge had been made, Prabhat Verma, an avid hiker who showed the trails to the HT team, said, “Even until one month ago, this area had not been mined and these were flatlands. But now, this temporary bridge has been made with 20-30 metre pits on both sides of the bridge where loose sand material is getting accumulated.”

“These tractor tyre marks clearly indicate that the mined material is loaded on the vehicles and taken out either in dark or in early morning hours,” Verma said, adding that trees were cut to level the land.

Another environmentalist who accompanied the HT team, requesting anonymity, said, “I visited this place first around six months ago in November, when this hole existed, but the roots of the trees on the edge of the wall were not exposed. Only with regular mining and loosening of the soil can the roots get exposed. Even on the opposite side, a hollow cave-like sign has developed on the rock that was not present earlier.”

In 2009, the Supreme Court had banned mining in the sensitive mountain range, considered to be the oldest in the country and a rich quarry for construction stones and sand. The ruling applied to the Aravallis in Faridabad, Gurugram and Mewat. In October last year, the Haryana government appealed for resuming mining in Gurugram and Faridabad, based on the 2009 order.

The Aravallis are considered to be the lungs of the Delhi-NCR region and also support a rich biodiversity that includes leopards, sambhar, fox, jackals and palm civets, among others.