Chandigarh, October 22: Congress MP and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday alleged that illegal sand mining is running rampant across the state under the direct patronage of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Speaking to ANI, Channi claimed the state government has completely failed to implement a viable mining policy, allowing the sand mafia to loot natural resources without statutory approvals or environmental clearances.
“Mining in Punjab is rampant, and this isn't a recent development. For the past four and a half years, ever since the Aam Aadmi Party formed the government, all mining has been illegal. This government has failed to introduce any policy whatsoever regarding mining. Initially, they did bring in a policy for a three-month period, which mandated manual extraction. That policy lapsed; it didn't work. Since then, all mining has been entirely illegal. People in Punjab are getting sand, but it is being extracted illegally from riverbeds, stolen under the cover of night,” Channi alleged.
Allegations (made by Channi): Channi alleged that riverbeds across Punjab are effectively handed over to illicit operators after dark: “This entire operation, under the direction and patronage of Kejriwal and company, as well as our Chief Minister, allows the mafia to take control of the rivers at night. Thousands of tipper trucks haul away sand and stone, effectively stealing these resources.” Taking a swipe at Kejriwal's pre-poll promise on mining revenue, he said: “Kejriwal had promised that mining would generate 20,000 crore rupees; in reality, not even 20 crore has been collected” — in other words, a promise of twenty thousand crore against a claimed collection of under twenty crore. He added that there is no environmental clearance and no government approval, yet mining continues unabated. All of these are Channi's allegations; Awaaz Punjab has not independently verified the patronage claim or the revenue figures, and no AAP response was reported in the ANI report at the time of drafting.
Channi also attacked both the state government and the BJP-led Centre over substance abuse: “...Drugs have become so prevalent in Punjab that they are being sold on every street. The people of Punjab now regret having brought them to power and, rest assured, they will soon be wiped out from here. The BJP government, too, bears responsibility for the spread of drugs in Punjab,” he said.
The remarks follow Channi's October 15 visit to a mining site in Ropar district, where he travelled in a tipper truck accompanied by Congress leader Barinder Singh Dhillon and other party workers. According to Channi, mining was under way at around 1 am, with Poklane machines excavating sand and long queues of tipper trucks waiting to be loaded; he claimed some drivers fled on seeing him, leaving machinery behind. Channi said he phoned the Ropar Deputy Commissioner and asked for officials to be sent to the site, but alleged that no official arrived for a considerable period.