With the opposition’s continued makes an attempt to elevate the difficulty of rampant unlawful mining forward of the Punjab Assembly elections, the Amarider Singh authorities has arrange an enforcement directorate (ED) headed by an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) rank officer to test unlawful mining.
A day after the state cupboard gave a go forward to the establishing of the directorate, the federal government appointed senior IPS officer, R N Dhoke as its head. The ED shall be below the Mining and Geology Wing of Water Resources Department. Official sources mentioned the ED will be sure that these concerned within the sand and gravel enterprise don’t cost above the sale value ceiling specified by the mining coverage.
“It will also stop unauthorised movement of minor minerals within the state and at inter-state borders in conjunction with mining officials and facilitate prosecution of the accused under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957,” officers mentioned. Experts of their reviews have additionally been suggesting that riverbeds have been adversely impacting the rivers and dependent communities.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, Tript Singh Bajwa had admitted that the mining mafia had not even spared land belonging to the Rural Development and Panchayats Department. As per the minister, the division was incurring a lack of Rs 100 crore yearly.
The Congress authorities has been focused by the opposition for being lax in direction of the unlawful mining being carried out by the mining mafia within the state. Opposition events like Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have been accusing the federal government of going smooth on the mafia alleging nexus between them and the celebration leaders. Leader of the Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema mentioned, “This is another step by the Captain government to fool the people of the state and add on to the financial burden. He had promised a Mining Corporation and ended up giving a ED to the people when his tenure is almost nearing an end.” Cheema went on to query the logic of making an ED saying, “There were already so many departments under the Punjab Police. Could they not be handed over with the investigation?”
Given the frequency of circumstances reported, the districts of Mohali, Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Nawanshahr, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Sangrur and Bathinda shall be given particular consideration to guarantee legit mining operations. The ED could have the mandate to chalk out methods, measures and strategies to obtain its targets in coordination with the Director-Mining, chief engineers and district-level enforcement committees below the DCs.
