Illegal mining in Mohali: Punjab CM orders vigilance inquiry
Saturday, 10/03/2018
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MOHALI: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday ordered a vigilance inquiry into the alleged nexus between top officials and illegal mining mafia in the Dera Bassi area. He also directed sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and station house officer (SHO) of Dera Bassi be shifted out from their postings until the probe.
While SDM Paramdeep Singh has been asked to report to the chief secretary’s office, DSP PS Bal and SHO Pawan Kumar have been shifted to the police lines, an official spokesperson disclosed.
The alleged nexus came to the fore in the wake of the crackdown ordered by the chief minister after he spotted illegal mining activity while flying over Nawanshahr and Jalandhar districts on Tuesday.
Sources said that the action came after the CMO office was informed the unabated mining was taking place in golden forest area in Zirakpur, Satt village, Ghaggar and Mubarkpur area at night allegedly with the consent of the police officials and local political leaders of the area.
Meanwhile, further tightening the noose around illegal miners, the chief minister directed the DCs and SSPs to expand the ambit of their investigations to cover the owners and actual bidders of the mines, as well as the owners of the equipment used, in cases of illegal mining.
The directive came during a meeting, convened by the chief minister, of the DCs and SSPs of the 14 districts where mining takes place in the state.
He instructed the officials not to brook any political interference in their investigations. The CM also announced the government’s decision to depute one guardian of governance (Rakha) at each mining site as a step towards curbing illegal mining.
