E-Paper
To curb illegal mining in Kangra, HP wants marking of Punjab boundary
With the authorities facing a tough time trying to curb illegal mining in bordering areas of Kangra district, the Himachal Pradesh government has again sought for the demarcation of its boundary from Punjab, to put an end to the illegal mining by people, from Punjab.
With the authorities facing a tough time trying to curb illegal mining in bordering areas of Kangra district, the Himachal Pradesh government has again sought for the demarcation of its boundary from Punjab, to put an end to the illegal mining by people, from Punjab.
Problem of rampant illegal mining is prevalent in rivulets of Nurpur and Indora areas which share borders with Punjab, as people from the other side take advantage of unclear boundary line between the two states.
“Himachal government had written to the Punjab government in this regard in June this year,” said sources.
In response to request by Himachal government, the Punjab government has directed deputy commissioner (DC) of Pathankot to take up the matter with his Kangra counterpart.
The revenue department in a letter sent last month has now directed the Kangra officials to liaison with Pathankot administration to conduct joint demarcation as soon as possible and submit a report in this regard.
It is not for the first time that Himachal Pradesh government has taken up the issue with Punjab. Earlier, in June 2015 Kangra administration had taken up the matter with Pathankot counterparts seeking demarcation of interstate boundary from Khanni to Kandwal and Kandwal to Jagat Giri Ashram along the Chakki Khud.
Later, the issue of illegal mining in border areas of Kangra came up for discussion in Himachal Pradesh State Assembly’s monsoon session in 2015 when the Nurpur MLA Ajay Mahajan raised issue of unclear demarcation of interstate boundaries leading to person from Punjab carrying out illegal mining in Chaki rivulet.
Admitting to the fact, the revenue minister Kaul Singh Thakur had informed the house that Himachal would seek for demarcation of its boundary satellite imagery to put an end to the illegal mining.
In September 2015 the field staff of the revenue departments from Pathankot and Nurpur had conducted a joint demarcation exercise but left it incomplete.
Chakki rivulet, a tributary of Beas marks the boundary between Himachal and Punjab, but in absence of demarcation, the police and authorities find it difficult to take action against people from Punjab who carry out mining. “Sometimes, when we chase mafia the Punjab police come to their rescue and raise the issue of jurisdiction,” said a Kangra police official.
