Amid high voltage discussion in the State Assembly over illegal mining, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday said that in the past seven years (2015-16 to 2021-22) of BJP’s regime the revenue from the mining sector has been Rs. 4,660 crore as against Rs. 1,268 crores between the years 2005 to 2014 during the tenure of the previous Congress governments.
He said the substantial rise in the revenue figure has been possible only because there has been a ban on illegal mining in the State, which is being implemented firmly under the present government in comparison to the previous governments. “This comparison is necessary as it clearly shows whether the situation was bad during the tenure of the previous government or it is bad today. Cracking down on illegal miners is a continuous process. The suggestions given by the MLAs in the House to help crack down on the mining mafia will definitely be considered,” he said.
Mr. Lal was speaking during the discussion on a calling attention motion surrounding illegal mining moved by various MLAs on the second day of the monsoon session of the Haryana Assembly.
Mr. Lal said that the police force cannot be present for every mining vehicle, however, action is being taken against the wrong-doers. Haryana Mines and Geology Minister Mool Chand Sharma said the State is working on a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against illegal mining and it is incorrect to say that any mining mafia is thriving here.
Leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly Congress party’s Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged that the ‘mining mafia’ was flourishing across the State and the State government seems to be in deep slumber on the serious issue.
Mr. Hooda said the government was not serious in dealing with cases of illegal mining. He said the government has been talking about initiating investigation in many cases of illegal mining, but investigations have hardly been completed.
Two Bills including the Code of Criminal Procedure (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2022 and the Haryana Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2022 were passed in the House on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party’s youth wing members led by State unit president Arun Hooda, who were planning to stage a demonstration outside the Assembly complex, were stopped by the police near Matka Chowk. AAP members shouted slogans against the BJP-JJP government on the issue of unemployment and inflation.
