Chandigarh: Punjab Mines and Geology Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal today said that the Punjab Government has further intensified its crackdown on illegal mining across the state with four separate enforcement operations in Pathankot, Kapurthala and Sri Anandpur Sahib. The operations resulted in the seizure of heavy machinery and vehicles used in illegal mining, the registration of cases against a stone crusher owner and the arrest of one person.
He informed that in the late-night operation conducted in the Jaswan village area of Pathankot district, the department seized a Poklain machine and an unnumbered tipper loaded with approximately 400 cubic feet (CFT) of gravel.
The police took possession of the Poklain machine and the gravel-laden tipper. The case was subsequently registered under Section 21(1) of the Mines and Minerals Act, 1957, and Sections 303(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Taragarh Police Station.
Mines and Geology Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government is committed to curbing illegal mining and taking strict legal action against those found violating mining regulations. He said that the Mining Department is working in close coordination with the police to detect illegal mining activities and bring the offenders to justice.
