Two roads cutting across forest and agricultural land in Nuh district reduced the distance to the Rajasthan border by about 25 km and helped illegal stone miners escape authorities, Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi said in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
These roads were constructed over the past two years in connivance with the then sarpanch and local officers of various government departments, the affidavit further stated, listing the following findings of a special investigation team formed by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, which conducted a drone-based survey:
(1) From Basai Meo to Chhapra village in Rajasthan’s Deegh district, a road with a length of 2,050 m, a width of 12.19 m, and a depth of 3 m was constructed.
(ii) From Basai Meo to Nagal village, a road with a length of 1,950 m, a width 12.19 m, and a depth 1.52 m was made.
The affidavit was filed after a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on May 29 accused the state government of shielding errant officials and the mining mafia, while taking exception to an affidavit the chief secretary filed, deflecting responsibility to the forest department.
The bench then remarked that the mafia appeared strong enough to protect both its members and colluding state officers. It directed the chief secretary to take immediate action against such mafias and guilty officials, and also ordered him to file a detailed affidavit by July 16.
“It is clear that illegal mining material transportation occurred through these illegally constructed rastas as it not only reduced the distance and transportation cost but also resulted in loss to Government exchequer loss (royalty, toll, overload etc) … Approximately an amount of Rs 13.26 crore has been incurred on the construction of these roads,” reads the latest affidavit.
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The roads were illegally carved out during consolidation proceedings on farmers’ lands, which have since been returned to them along with proposed compensation for three crop seasons.
Nuh Deputy Commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena removed the sarpanch from his post on July 1.
However, the sarpanch is absconding. He has filed pleas in the district court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court for bail and quashing an FIR registered against him, respectively.
“Mohammad Hanif alias Hannah, the then Sarpanch could not be arrested, till date as he is absconding and for his arrest, an award of Rs. 50,000/- has been announced by the police,” the affidavit read.
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The case stems from reports that rampant illegal mining takes place in Basai Meo village, facilitating illegal stone transport across state borders.
Mining in the Aravallis, Nuh, Gurgaon, and Faridabad has been banned since 2002, with the Supreme Court in 2009 extending it to all of southern Haryana. It remains allowed in neighbouring Rajasthan through leases.
The latest affidavit points to the effects of this anomaly. It states that the Rajasthan government’s mining department has issued mining leases in the border areas in the villages of Chapra, Dhulet, and Nangal.
‘Policy divergence in two states helps illegal mining’
“There are licensed crasher zones in these areas. Haryana also has a crasher zone in Bewan village at Rajasthan Haryana border. The leaseholders have mined beyond their lease boundary damaging nearby areas. Also the inter-state boundary is cutting through Aravali hill top so miners blast towards Rajasthan side illegally damaging Haryana Aravali system also,” the affidavit stated.
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The divergence between the policies of the two states has led to widespread illegal mining in border areas, which is exploited by the mining mafia operating from Rajasthan, which extracts resources in Haryana, the affidavit added.
“Despite continuous enforcement actions-raids, seizures, FIRs, and surveillance through drones the mining mafias persist, especially in remote and nocturnal operations, causing substantial environmental damage .. It was also found that Rajasthan leaseholders often displace demarcation pillars to encroach into Haryana, misrepresenting mining locations and causing loss of mineral wealth and revenue to Haryana,” it said.
Rajasthan-based miners, while encroaching on prohibited Haryana land, claim that the area where they are mining is part of their allotted land.
“The minerals extracted this way are then illegally transported into Haryana. This not only results in significant revenue loss but also poses a serious threat to the environment. This has been reported by the Mining Officer Nuh from time to time … the unresolved demarcation dispute between the Haryana and Rajasthan governments remains a critical factor enabling persistent illegal mining activities. Due to the dispute of the boundary area, it is challenging for either state to effectively enforce laws and prevent unauthorized extraction,” the affidavit stated.
Clear-cut demarcation of boundaries
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In the absence of a clear-cut demarcation of boundaries, mining activity takes place illegitimately on the Haryana side of the border, according to the affidavit.
The Haryana government proposed in the affidavit that all mining activities up to 5 km into the Rajasthan side of the border be banned.
“Survey of India may be directed to delineate this buffer zone of 5 kilometers”, the State government seeks.
