PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The State president of Bharatiya Janata Party, Mahendra Bhatt has appealed to all party MLAs in Uttarakhand to take action against illegal mining in their respective constituencies. His statement follows an incident wherein Vikasnagar MLA Munna Singh Chauhan stopped an overloaded tractor-trolley allegedly involved in illegal mining. He intercepted the vehicle on Sunday afternoon and informed the police.
According to his claims, he tried calling the police inspector concerned but someone else answered the call. A team from the Cheetah police unit reportedly reached the spot about 35 minutes later. Chauhan, angered by the delay, confronted the police personnel on site. He also raised questions about the time taken to respond, claiming that nearly 20 people had arrived at the location in an attempt to remove the vehicle before the police showed up and when they saw the MLA, they left the scene.
He also said that action should be taken against the entire police station staff for negligence. A video of the incident was recorded and later shared on social media. After the clip reached Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh, he reverted the police post officer in-charge Vaibhav Gupta, Cheetah unit head constable Manoj and constable Nawbahar to the police line. Responding to questions about whether Chauhan’s complaint contradicts the BJP’s earlier position that there is no illegal mining in Dehradun, Bhatt said the party maintains its stand.
He added that if such activities occur in any area, strict action will be taken against those responsible. He stated, “What the opposition has not managed to do, our MLAs are doing. I appeal to all BJP MLAs to take action if such practices are taking place in their constituencies.”
