ILLEGAL MINING RAMPANT IN ARAVALLIS

GURUGRAM: Rampant illegal mining continues in the ecologically fragile Aravallis in Tauru, Nuh and Faridabad, with the police registering 36 cases in the last month. As per the police data, since December 2019, the police have registered around 1,900 cases and seized over 2,800 vehicles, while the state has levied penalties amounting to ₹ 67 crore.

The police have also come under attack from mining mafia in south Haryana, said officials. In an incident last Saturday, two policemen were injured in Faridabad when they tried to stop vehicles ferrying mining extracts — sand, stones and clay — at Chandpur village. On Sunday, the police arrested three suspects and are conducting raids to arrest five more of the gang.

Preet Pal Sangwan, the assistant commissioner of police (crime), who is in charge of cracking down on illegal mining in the region, said that these gangs are so powerful that they attack the police teams and snatch their impounded vehicles. “The mining operations have been taking place in these three districts for over two decades. In November 2019, special teams were formed to crack down on illegal mining operations in the Aravallis and the operations had started in December 2019. Since then, we have been successful in controlling the mining in Nuh, Tauru and Faridabad belt,” he said.

In 2020, 1,862 cases were registered against 900 people while in 2019, 185 people were arrested over 150 cases were registered.

A total of 2,804 vehicles, including tippers, trucks, tractor-trolleys, and earthmovers, have been seized by the police between December 2019 and February 15, 2021. This number also includes 425 vehicles seized in November— the highest so far. This year, the police have already impounded 123 vehicles.