Chandigarh, September 6
Referring to the widely published media reports about illegal sand mining going on in the state, PPCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring stated, “It cannot be carried out without the patronage of the government and the administration.”
Directing his statement towards the Aam Aadmi Party government, he added, “Will the government identify the culprits? It is obvious that you are patronising the mafia yourself.”
The congress leader said more worrying was the mining being carried out in the border areas of Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Ferozepur, which had been specifically banned by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “When you cannot implement HC orders, it means you have too many reasons, rather compulsions, best known to you, for the inaction. But it’s not difficult for the general public to understand,” he taunted the government.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa came down heavily on the Bhagwant Mann government for its alleged failure in checking the rampant sand mining in the state.
Bajwa said Mining Minister Harjot Singh Bains had claimed that how under his supervision illegal sand mining in Punjab had nearly vanished.
In the Vidhan Sabha session, Bains had claimed the Vigilance Bureau would probe all illegal mining cases. However, nothing seemed to be happening in this regard on the ground.
