The Deputy Chief Minister Punjab, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal has directed the Deputy Commissioners of the state to take immediate effective measures to check illegal mining and stabilize the prices of sand and gravel in Punjab. He has called upon the officers to initiate a crusade against unlawful mining in the state.
Presiding over a meeting of the Chief Secretary, Financial Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and the IGs, Mr. Badal asked them to ensure smooth hassle free sand mining in Punjab. Referring to the recent news items regarding illegal mining, Mr. Badal said thata campaign should be launched and has asked the DCs along with senior police officers to visit the authorized Kandas in order to check any pilferage in the process of sand mining and determine the actual prices including the transportation cost fixed by the government and the prices charged. Giving them a free hand, Mr. Badal said that strict action would be taken against anybody found involved in illegal mining.
Adding further, the Deputy CM said that modalities were being worked out to declare the whole river area as the new mining areas in Punjab. Besides this he has asked all the DCs especially of Ludhiana, Nawan Sehar, Ropar, Ferozepur, Kapurthala, Moga, Jallandhar and Amritsar to identify 10 new mining sites each within a week and report to the Director Industries so that the process of setting up of new mining sites could be completed at the earliest. The DCs would also give a detailed report about the loading of trucks, prices, transportation etc in their respective jurisdiction to the headquarters. Mandis would be created in all the district headquarters and an authorized officer from Mandi Board would be deputed to ensure that legal mines are functional in Punjab. The Deputy CM also said that Site Appraisal Committees under the Chairmanship of SDMs would be constituted and District level Environment Management Cells would be strengthened to ensure smooth functioning of the mines.