CHANDIGARH: Unregulated sand mining - in violation of environmental laws and National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives - has changed the course of the Yamuna river in Asadpur village of Haryana 's Sonipat district, according to officials of the irrigation and water resources department.
In a report submitted after a field inspection on May 22, a four-member team of the department led by R K Bodwal, superintending engineer, Sonipat, has flagged widespread illegal mining activity. The team, which included executive engineers Ashish Kaushik and Gulshan Kumar and sub-divisional officer Himanshu, revealed that licensed operators were excavating far beyond permitted zones while using heavy machinery directly in the active river stream.
Their findings, detailed in a formal communication to chief engineer, Yamuna Water Services (South), New Delhi, were accompanied by geotagged photographs and videos.
"Several unauthorised paths have been created and the river's natural flow has been diverted to facilitate illegal extraction," the letter, accessed by TOI, stated. The report pointed out the absence of boundary pillars, making it impossible to verify whether mining remained within legal limits.
Officials of the irrigation department as well as in the office of the Sonipat deputy commissioner confirmed the communication. Late Saturday, the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau registered a case against the company holding the local sand mining licence. The firm has been accused of extensive illegal operations within the Yamuna riverbed.
The issue has also taken a political turn, with Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala taking a dig at chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, saying, "... at least show some respect to Kanha's (Lord Krishna's) Yamuna," he said.
A senior official of the department said there has been a demand for immediate suspension of mining operations and punitive action against those responsible for the "gross violations" of environmental and mining laws.
The violations include those of Environment Protection Act, sand mining guidelines, guidelines of NGT related to barring the use of any kind of machinery for extraction of mining material from the Yamuna from Sonipat to New Delhi and Mines and Minerals Act, according to the report.
In a report submitted after a field inspection on May 22, a four-member team of the department led by R K Bodwal, superintending engineer, Sonipat, has flagged widespread illegal mining activity. The team, which included executive engineers Ashish Kaushik and Gulshan Kumar and sub-divisional officer Himanshu, revealed that licensed operators were excavating far beyond permitted zones while using heavy machinery directly in the active river stream.
Their findings, detailed in a formal communication to chief engineer, Yamuna Water Services (South), New Delhi, were accompanied by geotagged photographs and videos.
"Several unauthorised paths have been created and the river's natural flow has been diverted to facilitate illegal extraction," the letter, accessed by TOI, stated. The report pointed out the absence of boundary pillars, making it impossible to verify whether mining remained within legal limits.
Officials of the irrigation department as well as in the office of the Sonipat deputy commissioner confirmed the communication. Late Saturday, the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau registered a case against the company holding the local sand mining licence. The firm has been accused of extensive illegal operations within the Yamuna riverbed.
The issue has also taken a political turn, with Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala taking a dig at chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, saying, "... at least show some respect to Kanha's (Lord Krishna's) Yamuna," he said.
A senior official of the department said there has been a demand for immediate suspension of mining operations and punitive action against those responsible for the "gross violations" of environmental and mining laws.
The violations include those of Environment Protection Act, sand mining guidelines, guidelines of NGT related to barring the use of any kind of machinery for extraction of mining material from the Yamuna from Sonipat to New Delhi and Mines and Minerals Act, according to the report.
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