Illegal mining racket unearthed in Amritsar, SHO suspended

Amritsar, May 2 (PTI) Amritsar (Rural) Police have unearthed an illegal sand mining racket near Kassowal village here in which two persons were arrested in this connection while the SHO of the area police station has been suspended, officials said on Sunday.

Police seized a heavy earthmoving machine, nine trucks, four tractor-trolleys and some other equipment from the site on Saturday.

The SHO of Ramdas police station has been suspended for alleged negligence in effectively curbing illegal mining, police said.

On the basis of specific information, Amritsar (Rural) police conducted a raid and found that large-scale illegal mining was going on along the banks of Ravi river in Kassowal village of Ramdas.

The raids unearthed a systematic and large-scale illegal mining operation being conducted on the banks of the river, police said.

“Two accused – Ranjit Singh of Gurdaspur and Daljit Singh of Bathinda - were arrested from the spot,” a senior police official said.

“After the raid, we noticed serious procedural compliance failures at the site. There was absence of any physical demarcation at the site, a condition that is set down for mining operations. Further, no documents or government slips were produced by the contractor or their workers at the site”, said SSP Amritsar (Rural) Dhruv Dahiya.

During investigation of the site by the raiding team, large mounds of sand were found at the river banks, as well as in the nearby hinterland area.

Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and the National Green Tribunal Act at the Ramdas police station and further investigations are under progress. PTI JMS SUN HDA