The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday stayed all types of mining activities across the Ravi river bed in Punjab’s Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts, which share international border with Pakistan.
The directions came from Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha and Justice Arun Palli during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by Gurbir Singh Pannu in 2012, surrounding illegal mining in Punjab.
Notably, the affidavits filed by the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Army pointed out that ‘unabated’ and ‘unchecked’ sand mining on the Ravi river bed by several heavy duty excavators could jeopardise the security of the border areas.
During the course of hearing, the High Court had on July 25 called for a report form the BSF and the Army among other authorities with regard to security threat along the International Border (IB) in Pathankot and Gurdaspur due to illegal mining.
“The court has stayed all types of mining across the river bed of Ravi in Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts for now. A detailed order is awaited,” Arun Gosain, counsel for the Central Government, told The Hindu.
In its affidavit, the BSF said sand mining was going on unabated and unchecked in the Ravi in close proximity to the IB in the area of responsibility of 73 Battalion BSF under the Gurdaspur sector. Besides affecting the future course of the river, it was posing a huge threat to the security of IB fence, it said.
Drone incursions
“The mining/excavation starts before sunrise and goes on till late night, sometimes even whole night. The presence of hundreds of labourers, whose antecedents have not been verified by the local police, so close to the IB is perceived to be a big security hazard. In recent days, there has been many drone incursions from Pakistan, where the possibility of dropping contraband, arms and ammunition at their camp site vehicles cannot be ruled out. In this regard, information has already been given to civil administration from time to time,” added the affidavit.
It also pointed out that unabated sand mining by several heavy duty excavators could jeopardise the security of the border areas.
“That in the hinterland area of 10 Battalion BSF, though activities regarding illegal mining in the Ravi belt are low, unnecessary movement of civilians along the bank of the Ravi causes disturbance in area domination as it provides opportunity for smugglers on the Indian side to come close to border to carry out their nefarious designs. As and when drone activities take place in the respective area of responsibility, it becomes very difficult for the BSF to identify culprits who are engaged in such activities by the civilians who carry out movement during night for illegal mining,” it said.
Cross-border infiltration
The affidavit on behalf of the Army, citing the implications of illegal mining across the Ravi, adjacent to the International Border with Pakistan in Pathankot and Gurdaspur, said ditches and gorges which are formed as a result of illegal mining facilitate cross-border infiltration. Besides, unplanned and uncontrolled mining may cause changes in the natural water drainage and even change the course of river, resulting in Army posts being susceptible to flooding.
“Illegal mining has been a facilitating factor towards the nexus between drug smugglers, terrorists and anti-national elements operating in the hinterland, nurtured and controlled by the ISI,” it read.
The Opposition launched a scathing attack on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government and demanded a Central Government inquiry into illegal mining in Punjab.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Daljit Singh Cheema said the AAP Government had failed to assure the High Court that it had stopped illegal mining on river beds, which was posing a serious threat to national security. “It is now clear that the government is helpless before the mining mafia. Only a Central probe can expose this mafia and force the government to stop illegal mining along the IB and elsewhere in the State,” he said.
Mr. Cheema said the AAP Government’s propaganda about stopping illegal mining had been exposed. “The government has spent crores to give an impression that it has put an end to illegal mining and reduced the prices of sand. However disclosures in court prove that all these contentions are false,” he said.
