PATIALA: Almost one year after previous deputy commissioner (DC) of Ropar ordered registration of a criminal case against a mining contractor for violating the norms, Ropar police on Thursday night registered a case against the accused On December 4, 2017, the then Ropar DC had shot a letter to the executive engineer of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and a letter dated December 26, 2017, to director, mining, industries and commerce department, confirming that illegal mining was taking place in Ropar, causing grave ecological damage to the areas around the pits. The letter had also been sent to the district police for initiation of appropriate action against the contractor responsible for violating the norms.However, the matter continued to drag for over a year. On Thursday night, Nurpur Bedi police station finally registered a case against Manpreet Singh, a resident of Sector 49, Chandigarh, under Section 21 of the Mines and Minerals Act, 1957.The DC had ordered the probe on the complaint of Dinesh Chadha. Chadha said that he continued to press upon the authorities to initiate action, following which the case was registered. “I wrote several letters to the district administration and the police department and in one such letter, I even placed on record that there is undeniable connivance between the authorities and illegal miners due to which the registration of the case was being delayed. This letter became a part of the FIR that has been registered,” he said.In his complaint, Chadha had identified three pits in Ropar where illegal mining has been going on. While cases related to two pits have been filed by the police against the contractor, they are yet to initiate action in the case relating to the third pit.Meanwhile, Chadha had also moved the National Green Tribunal, which in October ordered formation of joint committee comprising officials of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), PPCB and the Punjab mining department to initiate remedial measures to mitigate the environmental damage caused by the unscientific mining in Punjab.The NGT had also relied on the report filed by the DC. The NGT had said it has been confirmed that illegal mining was taking place in Ropar, which had gone beyond the permitted depth of 40 feet. However, the police department took one year to act upon the recommendations made by the DC. According to a senior police official, registration of FIR was subjected to cross verification by the police and the case could have been delayed because of this.

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