E-Paper
Illegal land mining: 16 stone crushers found in Kharar’s Majri block
Section 144 for vehicles being used for mining during the night will be imposed in the area, the DC said
With the unearthing of 16 illegal stone crushers, which have been allegedly operational for the last several months, the Majri block in Kharar continues to remain the epicentre of illegal land mining in the district.
On Monday, a team constituting Ropar divisional commissioner Rahul Tewari, Mohali deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan, additional deputy commissioner Aashika Jain and district mining officer Gurpreet Pal Singh visited the spot and found the crushers.
Dayalan said, “We received a complaint of illegal crushing operation from Majri block and we found 16 unregistered crushers here. A team of the mining department, pollution department, power department and the police has been formed to check the illegal activity.”
The DC added that Section 144 for vehicles being used for mining during the night will be imposed in the area. “We will be sealing all illegal crushers and strict action will be taken against their owners,” he added.
Past raids
On July 16 this year, the mining department had raided Gocher village and found that 5,000 cubic feet of gravel had been freshly taken out. The officers had also seized a crusher, which was parked a little distance from the said village, but had been recently employed for digging.
On July 6, Majri police had booked former director general of police (DGP) Paramdeep Singh Gill along with 44 farmers of Saini Majra, for allowing illegal mining of their land, under Section 21 of the Mine and Minerals (Regulations and Development) Act. A fine of ₹11 crore was also imposed on them.
In July last year, a penalty of ₹52 crore was imposed on 193 land owners in three villages of Kharar’s Majri block—Mianpur Changar, Kubaheri and Abhipur—for allowing illegal mining on their land.
