E-Paper
Moga police to cancel illegal mining cases against firm found selling sand
Moga Police registered 15 cases of illegal mining under the previous SSP’s tenure of 54 days; the previous top cop in the district had also issued to his subordinates for alleged inaction against illegal mining
Moga Over a month after registering two back-to-back cases against M/S and Rana Company, a firm allowed legal mining, for allegedly carrying out illegal mining in the Sutlej riverbed, Moga police have taken a U-turn and given clean chit to the firm. Moga senior superintendent of police (SSP) Surinderjit Singh Mand has approved cancellation reports in both the cases.
The development comes two weeks after the transfer of former Moga SSP, Dhruman H Nimbale, an IPS officer. During his 54-day tenure, 15 cases of illegal mining were registered; since his transfer, only one case of illegal mining has been registered. Previously, the Moga SSP had issued show-cause notices to Dharamkot DSP, Shubeg Singh and mining officer Jalandhar, Gurtej Singh Garcha, for alleged inaction against illegal mining after the registration of these cases. The district police has also recommended the suspension of Dharamkot DSP for his alleged nexus with the mining mafia.
“The recommendation of his suspension is pending with the home department. Now, with the clean chit to the firm, the Dharmakot DSP is also likely to get relief,” said an official of Moga police.
THE CASE AGAINST THE FIRM
On September 19, Moga police had arrested eight men for allegedly selling stored sand from the firm’s dump set up at Sherpur Taiba village. The police had also seized eight vehicles, including five tractor-trailers and tippers loaded with sand and three earthmoving machines.
On September 26, the police registered a case of theft and illegal mining against M/S and Rana Company, an official mining contractor, for selling its stored sand, without following the legal procedure.
As per the FIRs, the state government has allotted a mining quarry of Pipli village in Jalandhar to the firm. Due to monsoon, the company had stored its sand at Sherpur Taiba village, located in Moga, with the permission of the mining department. The Moga police had claimed that the owner and workers of the firm were allegedly selling sand without weighing, without issuing computerised slips and without clicking the pictures of vehicles.
Moga SSP Surinderjit Singh Mand, “I have approved the cancellation report of both FIRs. The decision was taken after we did not find any anomalies in the way the firm was operating. Earlier, the firm had not produced slips that are mandatory for transportation of sand. Now, they have produced these slips before us. Therefore, we have initiated the process for cancelling FIRs. This cancellation report will be submitted in a local court.”
Sources said that after registration of FIRs, the firm had moved the Punjab and Haryana high court. On October 1, the court had disposed of the case by directing the chief secretary to consider the representation and to pass necessary order in accordance with the law. The chief secretary, then, marked an inquiry to Moga deputy commissioner Harish Nayar.
