Special police teams formed to crack down on illegal mining in Tauru belt
The special enforcement team of Haryana Police has deployed 20 more personnel on stretches connecting Tauru to crack down on illegal mining activities in the Aravallis, said the police on Monday.
According to the police, the move was taken after an attack on police teams on Saturday night after they had tried to intercept a loaded dumper carrying illegally mined stones near Bilaspur. The hawkers and tea stall owners, who are stationed on the roadside on the stretches connecting to Tauru and nearby villages, have also been asked to alert police in case they find any dumper movement on the road.
The police said as many as 300 people would be keeping an eye on the movement of illegal dumpers as they had only 25 personnel for South Haryana.
Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that since December 2019, they have deployed teams in the Aravalli belt to control illegal mining but the number of cases are rapidly increasing. “On an average, three to four dumpers laden with crushed stones are spotted every day. Despite regular checking, they manage to flee with the help of locals. We have roped in hawkers and people working on roadside eateries to alert us in case they find any dumper moving on any stretch,” he said.
Sangwan said that some locals in nearby villages of Nuh and Tauru are involved in illegal mining. The illegal miners have also hired drivers and trained them in dodging police teams. “The drivers often pelt stones and damage police vehicles so that they cannot chase them. The drivers are familiar with all the stretches of the area and have several hideouts in the outskirts of the villages. Many of the drivers arrested have criminal records and are involved in illegal activities for the last few years,” he said.
The police said there are five villages in the Tauru belt which are under the scanner. The teams deployed in the area said there are a few families that have trained even women and children on how to surround police teams during raids.
Sangwan said locals, including women, block the road and lie down with children to stop police from entering the village. They have 25 teams deployed in 14 districts that are monitoring these illegal mining activities in South Haryana.
The state has collected a total fine of ₹57.50 crore since December 2019. A total of 2,744 vehicles, including tippers, trucks, tractor-trolleys, and earthmovers, have been seized by the police between December 2019 and November 23, 2020. This number also includes 425 vehicles seized in November— the highest so far.
The police added that during the course of the anti-mining operations, several police officers have been attacked by truck drivers carrying illegal material and more than 50 police vehicles have been damaged. Over four dozen cases of attempted murder have been registered against such drivers over the last six months, said the police.
The police said illegal mining operations have been taking place in the Aravallis for over two decades. In November 2019, IPS officer Amitabh Singh Dhillon, who is also the director-general of mines and geology department of Haryana, had put together a special enforcement team to crack down on illegal mining operations in the Aravallis.
The state was divided into two parts and two police officials were given charge of each. While assistant commissioner of police(ACP) Rajesh Phogat has been given the charge of the Sonepat region, ACP Sangwan is in charge of curbing illegal mining in Gurugram and Nuh.
The National Green Tribunal(NGT) in 2019 had ordered that all confiscated vehicles will be released only after recovery of at least 50% of the showroom value of such vehicles. “Besides, the confiscated vehicle owner will also have to pay a royalty fee, the value of the mineral loaded on the vehicles, along with ₹10,000 fine before the vehicle can be released,” said Sangwan, adding that the state has been suffering severe revenue losses because of the illegal mining activity in the Aravallis for the last several years.
