Chandigarh, March 5: Vowing to completely eliminate thescourge of illegal mining from the state, Punjab Chief Minister CaptainAmarinder Singh on Friday announced the constitution of an EnforcementDirectorate, Mining, under the command of a senior Police officer with adequatepolice force at his command.
Slamming the previous SAD-BJP Government for not onlypatronizing illegal mining but actively promoting systemized loot of the stateexchequer, the Chief Minister said his government had spent the last 4 years insetting in order the mining revenues, which the erstwhile regime had allowed tobe frittered away, he was now “cracking down on the aspect of illegal mining”in a big way. When his government took over, the revenue from mining was as lowas Rs.35 crore annually, which has been enhanced to Rs.250 crore - an increaseof Rs.215 crore, said the Chief Minister, expressing shock over the loss of Rs2150 crore by the Akali-BJP combine during their 10-year rule.
The Chief Minister said his government had, last year,strictly enforced the writ of the law irrespective of any suspected politicalaffiliation, and he now proposed to make it even more stringent, with strictimplementation of the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation)Act, 1957 and the Punjab Minor Mineral Rules, 2013 against any violator.Illegal mining attracts a punishment of imprisonment for a term of 5 years or afine of Rs.5 lakh per hectare under the Act.
The Enforcement Directorate would ensure strictimplementation, said Captain Amarinder, adding that the move was prompted bythe success of the STF constituted to contain drug abuse in the state.
The Chief Minister was responding to the discussion on theMotion of Thanks to the Governor’s address in the Budget session of the VidhanSabha. The Motion of Thanks, moved by Dr. Raj Kumar Verka on Tuesday, wasunanimously passed by the House.
Asserting his resolve to bring to book all those involved inthe sacrilege and police firing incidents of Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura,Captain Amarinder informed the House that on the recommendations of theCommission, constituted by his government to investigate the cases, he informedthe House that so far, 5 Police / Civil Officials had been identified /nominated for legal action, while 5 persons had been convicted up the courts.As per a resolution of the Vidhan Sabha, an SIT had been set up to carry out anindependent probe and ensure justice, he disclosed. Further, his government hadprovided ncreased financial compensation of Rs 1 crore, along with jobs, to themembers of families of deceased and the injured persons, he added. Hitting outat the previous government, he revealed that in the past 28 months, 57 out of 85cases of sacrilege in the state had been traced, as against
only 66 out of 132 cases of sacrileges under the SAD-BJPrule.
Besides the success in the war against drugs, with the drugssupply chain now effectively broken, the Chief Minister hailed the establishmentof the rule of law, with complete communal harmony in the state, as aremarkable achievement of his government. There had been a perceptive decreasein crime despite the growing security threat from across the borders, he added.Referring to the drive to bring to book gangs of criminals, he disclosed that2687 Gangsters/Members of various Criminal Gangs had been arrested/ neutralizedincluding 227 Categorized Gangsters since his government took over. Besides, 37Terrorist Modules had been busted, 221 Terrorists arrested, 10 drones seized,in addition to 1928 illegal weapons and 38 hand grenades. Further, 26 foreignhandlers who were involved in hatching conspiracies have been identified, headded.
Listing some of the other key achievements of his governmentin the past nearly 4 years, the Chief Minister said the state’s batteredeconomy had been revived through focused and prudent measures, and efforts todevelop quality infrastructure had been redoubled. His government hadconstantly pursued all possible actions to protect Punjab’s territorial,and water rights, he said. Relentless promotion of job creation, as well asempowerment of youth, women, persons with disabilities and persons belonging toScheduled Castes and other minorities & weaker sections of the society,were some of the other achievements listed by the Captain Amarinder.
The Chief Minister said Punjab was blessed during 2019-20 tocelebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Ji, the 150th birthanniversary of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi ji; 350th birth anniversaryof the great Sikh warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji, the Birth centenary ofAcharya Shri Mahapragya – 10th Head of Shwetambar Tera Panth and the 750thBirth Anniversary of Bhagat Namdev ji.