Punjab Lokpal issues notice to minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, PPCB over failure to stop illegal mining

Notices have been issued to PPCB member secretary G S Majithia, Deputy Commissioner (SAS Nagar Mohali) Aashika Jain, and Senior Superintendent of Police (Mohali) Deepak Pareek, directing them to respond to the allegations in the complaint. The parties, either in person or through duly authorised advocates, have been directed to appear before the Lokpal forum at 11 am on May 12.

The complaint was filed by RTI activist and lawyer Nikhil Saraf, alleging that following the change of government in Punjab in 2022, all illegal crushers and screening plants in the Majri block of Kharar tehsil in Mohali were shut down. For the first time in decades, residents of nearby villages experienced cleaner air and relief from the noise caused by crushers and heavy trucks, it said.

However, the complaint alleged, “After a few months, the government of Punjab, instead of taking action against the mining mafia in accordance with the law, gave permissions to the very crushers and screening plants which had earlier been shut down for months following the change of government in 2022.”

The complaint further stated that the NGT, in its order dated December 10, 2020, identified a scam exceeding Rs 630 crore in the adjoining area of the Ropar district, while the scam in the Majri block in the Mohali district Mohali was estimated to surpass Rs 1,000 crore.

The complaint alleged that the government granted permissions in violation of all notifications and allowed screening plants and crushers to operate illegally near villages, schools, and colleges.

It accuses the respondents of clear violations of directions issued by the National Green Tribunal, neglecting illegal excavation and theft of government property, harming the environment, and breaching environmental regulations.

“All the accused are not only guilty of gross misconduct, abuse of power and authority, corruption, and money laundering but are also defeating the very ideals of an Independent India, for which our forefathers and mothers made tremendous sacrifices. Hope all of them are brought to justice and made accountable for their misdeeds,” the complaint stated.