The sand mining truck intercepted by the villagers in Mohali on Saturday. (Express photo)
RESIDENTS OF Dulwan village in Majri block on Saturday intercepted four tipper trucks laden with sand and claimed that the officials concerned had released these vehicles without verifying the facts. The villagers claimed that four trucks belonged to the sand mafia and people engaged in illegal mining. The trucks were released by the Majri Block Level Officer (BLO). The villagers alleged that the mining department was hand in glove with the illegal sand miners.
Jasbir Singh, a Dulwan resident, told Chandigarh Newsline that they caught four tipper trucks laden with sand on Saturday morning around 10.30 am and called the area BLO, Uggar Singh, and also informed the General Manager, Mining, Tehal Singh Sekhon, but both the officials did not respond to their calls.
“We also informed the Kharar SDM’s office but did not get any reply from there as well. We kept waiting and finally, Uggar Singh, responded to our call and asked us to release the trucks and so, we asked him to come to the spot,” said Jasbir.
According to Jasbir, Uggar Singh came to their village around 2.30 pm and told the villagers that the truck drivers had the required documents and so there was no question of stopping the trucks. “These officials are also hand in glove with the sand mafia. If there is no approved mining site, then how could the truck drivers have documents,” alleged Jasbir Singh.
Uggar said the trucks were carrying gravel which was to be taken to the crushers that were run legally in Mainpur Jhangar village. He vehemently denied the allegations that he had anything to do with the miners. “They showed me the documents that they had paid fees to the mining department and so I released them,” said Uggar.
Tehal Singh Sekhon was not available for comment.
Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu said people of the area told him that the illegal miners dig sand and gravel from their villages and whenever they were caught, they claimed that they were taking the raw material to the crushers which were being run legally. He added that if there were no approved mining sites, how were the crushers being operated in the area and insisted that the crushers should be banned in the areas where there were no sites for legal mining.