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HomeIndiaCrater-sized quarries, bold sand mafia — why Punjab’s mining scandal is a...

Crater-sized quarries, bold sand mafia — why Punjab’s mining scandal is a political hot potato

Blanket ban on sand mining in place in Punjab since 10 November has done little to abate sand mafia. State govt opened first sand & gravel sale outlet in Mohali earlier this month.

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Mohali: Regulating Punjab’s lucrative and mafia-ridden sand mining was among the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s major promises as it took power. It is now finding its attempts to regulate the sale of sand and gravel being stymied by a thriving illegal mining industry, an assertive sand mafia, a lack of awareness among buyers and the existing ‘grey’ market.

Private retailers, who are already upset with the blanket ban on mining in the state, accuse the government of encroaching into “their territory”.

Corruption in sand mining was a major issue in the run-up to the Punjab elections earlier this year, with the opposition accusing then CM Charanjit Singh Channi of the Congress of being involved with the sand mafia. And while the AAP had promised to put an end to illegal mining in the state, it has fallen short of its objective, or so it seems.

The Punjab government, on 19 December, inaugurated the state’s first sand and gravel sales outlet in Mohali with much fanfare. But in five days since its launch, it has been able to attract only 36 buyers.

Punjab govt's sand and gravel sale centre in Mohali | Urjita Bhardwaj | ThePrint
Punjab govt’s sand and gravel sale centre in Mohali | Urjita Bhardwaj | ThePrint

The tepid response can be largely attributed to the fact that the price at which the government is offering sand and gravel is the same as that being offered by private retailers, and in some cases even higher.

Lack of awareness, too, comes into play. A board written in Punjabi was installed only 3-4 days after the outlet was opened, yet vendors selling juice right outside were unable to direct passersby to it.

Mines, geology and water resources minister Harjot Singh Bains of the AAP had hailed the sales outlet as a respite for those looking to build their homes, adding that it would enable them to source construction material at cheaper rates. But though it is situated in New Chandigarh’s Ecocity 2 — an up-and-coming area dotted with new construction — it does not seem to be getting the kind of order volume the state government was expecting.


Also Read: ‘Sand mafia, goonda tax’: Illegal mining is no secret, but still an election issue in Punjab


Pricing a sore point

The Punjab government is planning to open outlets like the one in Mohali across the state with an aim to provide cheap gravel and sand to consumers. But pricing is a sore point.

On the day of the sales outlet’s opening, Bains claimed that the state-run outlet would provide building material at Rs 1-1.5 per cubic feet (cu ft.) lower than the market price.

One cubic foot is defined as the volume of a cube with sides one foot in length.

The price of sand at the government outlet is Rs 28 per cu ft., while gravel is being sold here at Rs 32 per cu ft., besides 5 per cent GST on the total purchase, mining inspector Hardeep Singh told ThePrint. Customers also have to bear the cost of transporting the material, depending on the distance from the sales outlet to the construction site.

But the selling price at the state-run outlet is much higher than what the government had promised in August this year, when it revised the state’s sand and gravel mining policy.

The Bhagwant Mann-led government had amended the Sand and Mining Policy 2021 to revise the rates to Rs 9 per cu ft. for sand and Rs 20 per cu ft. for gravel.

Illegal mining quarry in Taranpur, Mohali district | Urjita Bhardwaj | ThePrint
Illegal mining quarry in Taranpur, Mohali district | Urjita Bhardwaj | ThePrint

When ThePrint surveyed prices at private retailers in the area, it found that material was being sold at the government outlet at a price higher than what retailers were offering.

“We purchase sand from Nanakpur in Haryana at Rs 20 per cu ft. and sell it for Rs 25 per cu ft. and 10 mm gravel at Rs 32 per cu ft., excluding transport,” said the proprietor of JMB traders in Ecocity 2. Another retailer was seen selling sand at Rs 28 per cu ft. and gravel at Rs 36 per cu ft. inclusive of transport costs.

Currently, the state-run outlet is not catering to commercial businesses, and selling only to individual buyers. Mining officers ThePrint spoke to said the government is primarily selling grey-coloured fine sand which is the desilted product extracted from previously mined sand from Rupnagar district.

A blanket ban on sand mining imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 10 November is currently in effect in Punjab.

However, customers at the government outlet said the quality available here was much superior. “I am not getting a price advantage, but the sand here is of a much higher quality at the same price, so I decided to buy from the government,” said Dr. Kishore Kumar, who is building a house in the vicinity. Another customer, Ravinder, said he was very happy with the state-run outlet. “I have bought 600 cu ft. of gravel at Rs 33 per cu ft. from here, outside the rate is Rs 38 per cu ft.. I’m very happy,” he said.

Private retailers question move

Private retailers miffed at the government encroaching on their territory expressed frustration over how the blanket ban on mining has affected their business adversely.

“The Punjab government is so smart that they’re helping Haryana become a prosperous state. They’ve banned mining in the state, which used to earn revenue for them. Now, the Haryana government is dancing on our money,” said the proprietor of JMB traders.

Adding, “They (Punjab government) could’ve formulated a new sand and mining policy while keeping the older one in place. But they arbitrarily discontinued the previous policy while giving it no thought. The government’s job is to solve people’s problems, not add to them. Rodi ret bechein islie vote diya kya inhe? (did we vote for them so they could sell gravel and sand?)”

Another reason private players are able to match the prices being offered by the government is that they still don’t have to look outside the state’s borders for material and seem to be sourcing sand and gravel from illegal miners.

ThePrint reached Principal Secretary (Sand and Mining) in the Punjab government, along with minister Harjot Singh Bains for comment via WhatsApp but did not receive a response at the time of publication. This report will be updated when a response is received.

A committee formed on the orders of the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2019 to look into claims of illegal sand mining on a petition filed by Ram Singh mentioned earlier had concluded that there was rampant illegal mining in these areas, including in eco-sensitive zones.

The NGT had directed the state mining department to set up CCTV cameras and take action against illegal miners in the area. The then deputy commissioner had also informed the NGT that the mining department was continuously surveying the villages in block Majri.

But as ThePrint’s investigation revealed, mining in the block is still rampant.

Illegal sand mining nexus

As it announced the opening of the sales outlet, the AAP wrote in a tweet: “Full stop on illegal mining in Punjab.”

However, ThePrint found that illegal mining was underway in full swing just 10 kilometres from where the government’s new sales outlet is located.

ThePrint visited four sites in villages Tarapur, Mianpur Changar and Abhipur where illegal sand mining was active. With quarries as deep as 200 feet, these sites resemble craters created by meteorites.

In village Saini Majra, ThePrint spotted workers ploughing sand using shovels, and a JCB in action in plain sight. Upon noticing that he was spotted, the man operating the JCB promptly stopped the work, and ThePrint’s team was then briefly followed by men on bikes.

JCB spotted engaged in illegal mining in Saini Majra | Urjita Bhardwaj | ThePrint
JCB spotted engaged in illegal mining in Saini Majra | Urjita Bhardwaj | ThePrint

The largest quarry was right in the foothills of the Shivalik ranges, and is in an area protected under section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act of 1900, activists said.

Ram Singh, a resident of Abhipur village, is an activist who captured the movement of sand and gravel trucks passing through his village nearly every night in November and December, since the blanket ban was announced. He shared CCTV footage with ThePrint to back his claims.

At all times, Singh carries with him a black bag full of documents and photographs, telling the story of his decade-long fight against illegal mining in his village. Among the newspaper articles and photographs in his bag was one showing two of his comrades collapsing on the ground after an attack, allegedly by the local sand mafia.

Stills from CCTV footage of trucks allegedly carrying illegally mined sand shared by local activist | ThePrint
Stills from CCTV footage of trucks allegedly carrying illegally mined sand shared by local activist | ThePrint

Successive governments in Punjab have shown little interest in tightening the leash on illegal mining, even though it’s rampant, and illegal miners are violent outlaws.

Active mines in the villages of Tarapur, Miapur Changar, Saini Majra and Gochar surveyed by ThePrint have been brought to the state government’s notice several times by activists, but no action has been taken to enforce the court-imposed ban yet.

Villagers in Mohali district have been raising their voice against mining in their villages since 2013, but to no avail. Ranjot Singh and Sukhdev Singh, both activists, were even attacked in 2019 for bringing attention to the issue. While Ranjot’s leg was crushed, Sukhdev was in a Coma for nine days after he was attacked with a kirpan, allegedly by the local sand mafia.

But despite facing such brutal attacks, local activists are the ones facing FIRs under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (unlawful assembly).

Activist Ram Singh (L) with Sukhdev Singh (R) pointing to an illegal quarry near his village | Urjita Bhardwaj | ThePrint
Activist Ram Singh (L) with Sukhdev Singh (R) pointing to an illegal quarry near his village | Urjita Bhardwaj | ThePrint

Mining inspector Harpreet Singh, however, said the AAP government’s decision to slap a fine of Rs 2 lakh on an unregistered truck carrying construction material will bear fruit. “Earlier, drivers had to face FIRs if they were caught smuggling sand. Now, the government will not only impound vehicles but impose a fine of Rs 2 lakh which will keep outlaws in check. The action is prompt. It will change things,” he explained.

As for now, confusion looms large in Punjab about the current mining policy. With a blanket ban, the exchequer is losing out on revenue, while the government’s latest outlet is of little use to the average buyer. And all this while, the mining mafia is busy with business as usual.

(This is an updated version of the report)

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)


Also Read: ‘Let’s teach police a lesson’ — illegal miners who ran over DSP ‘threatened his team with gun’


 

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