Saturday, 29 MARCH 2025 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The issue of illegal mining raised by the former chief minister and Haridwar MP Trivendra Singh Rawat in Lok Sabha on Thursday has made the State government led by Pushkar Singh Dhami uncomfortable.
Rawat minced no words in claiming that the mining mafia is operating with audacity and illegal mining is rampant in the State. Under fire from its own leader, the State government, fielded Mining secretary Brijesh Kumar Sant to negate the allegations levelled by Rawat.
Raising the issue in Lok Sabha under rule 377 on Thursday, the Haridwar MP drew the attention of the house on what he called a serious issue. He said that illegal mining is rampant in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts.
“This is not only a threat to law and order and ecology but also to the safety of the common people. Despite orders from the State and Union governments, the trucks operated by the mining mafia continue to operate during night. These trucks are heavily overloaded and are damaging the road and bridge infrastructure of the State. The movement of the general public has become difficult due to these trucks and they have also caused a spike in road accident cases.
He requested that the Union government and State administration should look into the matter and set up a special task force to prevent illegal mining in the State. Rawat said that a ban should be imposed on movement of these vehicles during night and checkposts on all the major roads should be set up to prevent overloading.
As expected, the statement of Rawat stirred up the State administration.
Presenting the case of the State government, Mining secretary Sant said that it is a completely false and baseless comment that illegal mining is increasing in the State.
“The biggest evidence is that the revenue of the State is increasing from mining. This year the State has collected the highest ever revenue from mining. This is 2.25 times more than last year. It is for the first time that we have not only achieved the revenue target in mining but have exceeded by over Rs 200 crore,’’ he said.
Sant attributed the jump in mining revenue to the new regulations and effective control on illegal mining.
He added that the department has taken a string of measures to prevent illegal mining. “We have increased surveillance, taken punitive action on violators and also simplified the rules,” he said.
Responding to the MP’s claim on truck movement at night, the secretary said that the heavy vehicles are not allowed to move during the day time in the cities. Being a tourism and pilgrimage place, the trucks with valid documents are allowed to move during night to avert accidents, he added.
