Bajwa and Dullo welcome decision on CBI inquiry into illegal checkpoints near mining sites in Ropar
Chandigarh/Delhi, August 15, 2020 : Member of Parliament Partap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo have welcomed order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding CBI investigation into existence of illegal checkpoints near mining sites in Ropar District.
In a joint statement issued here today both the leaders said, “We welcome the action of the Honourable Punjab & Haryana High Court ordering a preliminary inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the existence of the illegal checkpoints (nakas), near mining sites in Ropar District, Punjab. It has been made abundantly clear that the State Department of Mines & Geology and the State Home Department have failed in their responsibility in curbing illegal mining and the sand mafia in Punjab.”
They said that on February 19th, 2020, the Government of Punjab had informed the Honourable Punjab & Haryana High Court that these ‘nakas’ or check-points do not exist in Ropar. An independent report submitted on 11th August, 2020 by a judicial officer from the District Legal Services Authority, Ropar, disputed the submission by the Punjab Government, by proving that these nakas do in-fact exist. The report submitted by the DLSA and the actions taken by the Honourable Punjab & Haryana High Court reinforces the statements made by Sh. Shamsher Singh Dullo and I, regarding the activities of the sand mafia in Punjab.
They also said that we further request the Honourable Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to not confine the preliminary inquiry by the CBI to just Ropar District, but to take suo motu cognisance and expand the ambit of the investigation to the whole State of Punjab. They also said that the National Green Tribunal on 10th July, 2020 had ordered the Punjab State Pollution Control Board to recover Rs. 632 crore from three illegal mining sites in Ropar. Can the Chief Minister shed some light on the recovery proceedings against the contractors operating on those sites? The recovery of these funds would go a long way in helping the exchequer, since the Government is trying to save every penny and shilling.
The actions of the sand mafia not only causes an economic loss to the exchequer but also has massive negative consequences for the environment. In September 2019 for example, over 4000 hectares of crops in six districts of Punjab was destroyed due to the flooding of the Sutlej river. Ropar, was the worst affected of all the districts, with nearly 1,715 hectares were completely destroyed. Illegal sand mining is one of the chief causes of flooding in the district. As long as illegal sand mining continues unabated in the State, our farmers and law abiding civilians are the ones who face the consequences.
They also said that to prevent further damage to the environment and erosion of public trust with the institutions that govern the State, an independent and fair inquiry must be ordered into the operations of the sand mafia in Punjab. They said that we seek an end to this menace and hope that the orders of the Honourable Punjab & Haryana High Court is a wake up call for the Government of Punjab.