DSP killing puts illegal mining back in focus, Haryana plans steps to end menace for good

The Supreme Court ban on mining activities notwithstanding, illegal quarrying of stones from the Aravallis in Nuh and neighbouring locations of Faridabad, Sohna and Alwar is a persistent headache for authorities, with trucks and dumpers often caught carrying large stones and boulders across state borders, police officials say. In January 2022, five persons were killed and three injured in a landslide at the Dadam mining site in Bhiwani, prompting a probe.

At the hillock in Chilla-Pachgaon in Tauru, where the dumper mowed down the DSP, truck marks were visible, with locals claiming that dumpers carrying stones and boulders for mining pass through the area often, early in the morning or late at night.

A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said the menace is exacerbated in South Haryana districts. “Overloaded dumpers from neighbouring states like Rajasthan or hilly areas in the Aravallis quarry stones and drop them in crusher zones in Faridabad, Nuh and even Gurgaon. Between 2019 and March 2022, we seized 2,400 vehicles involved in mining activities in the South Haryana region,” said the officer.

The Haryana government on Tuesday said that as many as 68 vehicles involved in illegal mining have been seized and 23 FIRs registered in Nuh district in this financial year alone. During this period, a fine of Rs 4.28 lakh has been recovered from illegal miners in Nuh.

According to a spokesperson of the Haryana government, 138 FIRs have been registered for illegal mining in Haryana during the same period and a fine of Rs 1.31 crore has been recovered by confiscating 253 vehicles.

The spokesperson added that it has been decided to use satellite imagery for regular monitoring of mining in the state. Along with this, all vehicles carrying mining material will be equipped with GPS.

“Illegal mining… also includes illegal transportation of mined material. Such vehicles are confiscated by the Mines and Geology Department as well as the police. The department recently received 18 police personnel on deputation to check illegal mining. Around 60 more personnel will join soon,” said the spokesperson.

“Strict directions have been issued by the government to the Deputy Commissioners and the Superintendents of Police regarding illegal mining. Illegal mining should be investigated and sensitive areas prone to illegal mining should be identified and special teams of officers should regularly inspect the sensitive areas,” added the spokesperson.

This is not the first time that those involved in illegal mining have targeted the police. On December 17, 2021, during a night domination exercise to check illegal mining in Nuh, a dumper carrying stones had rammed into a police vehicle.

The Superintendent of Police, Nuh, Varun Singla, under whose supervision the inspection was going on, and his team had jumped out of a police SUV as the dumper tried to run over the policemen. A policeman had suffered injuries in the incident, which took place near a hotel on the Nuh-Alwar road. Police had registered an FIR at Nagina police station and the dumper driver had managed to escape after abandoning his vehicle.

Singla said there was no ‘organised mafia’ as such in Nuh. “There is no blasting happening here for mining. It is mostly done at a local level driven by economic factors. Mostly, they use hammers and sickles and load the trucks to drop the stones in crusher zones in nearby districts. We are continuously making efforts to ensure that such activity is barred.”