Crackdown on illegal mining: 24 booked, 13 arrested on UP-Haryana border

Meerut: In a crackdown on illegal sand mining on Yamuna river in Baghpat district, police have registered a case against 24 people and arrested 13 of them.

Several vehicles used in the illegal mining, including earthmovers, have also been confiscated.

“On the basis of complaints by villagers of Khedi Pradhan, we had conducted a raid and arrested people involved in illegal mining. In all ten machines, six pickup trucks, a trawler, Rs 3.75 in cash and a car were seized from the site. 24 people have been booked in relevant sections of Environment Protection Act, Mine and Minerals Act and Indian Penal Code. Out of these, 13 have been arrested,” said circle officer of Baraut, Alok Kumar Singh.

The arrests were made on Saturday and the accused were produced before a court and sent to jail on Sunday.

Several deep trenches have come up in the Yamuna river due to large-scale mining in UP’s Baghpat district adjoining Haryana. UP Police says that the workers, hired by criminals from the other state, are involved in it. It is also said that the river’s course was also changed in some parts due to the rampant sand mining.

Sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Durgesh Kumar Singh said, “Illegal mining changed the course of Yamuna which has inundated standing crops here. When we conducted the raid, they tried to run towards the Haryana side. Yamuna serves as the border of the two states of Haryana and UP.”

A villager, Arvind Singh Tomar, said, “Illegal mining is rampant in this region that causes a great amount of discomfort to us. Our crops are destroyed and there is always heavy movement of machinery in the region but no one cares. I hope now this crackdown sustains.”