MOHALI: Launching a scathing attack on the Punjab Government, Vineet Joshi, State Media Head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (Punjab), exposed rampant illegal mining along the Siswan river in the Majri Block of Kharar Assembly constituency after conducting an on-ground visit at the invitation of local villagers.
Joshi said that the tall claims of Punjab’s Mines & Geology Minister, Barinder Kumar Goyal, about curbing illegal mining stand completely exposed. “The ground reality is starkly different — illegal mining is thriving openly and fearlessly in villages like Sohali, Nangliyan, Kherpur, Fatehgarh, Andhedi, Jhingran, Shekhpura, Siamipur, Malkpur, Teur, Dosarna, Rudki Kham, Phantwan, Dhakoran, Bhalpur, Chandpur and Kadimajra, ” he asserted.
He further alleged that the mining mafia is operating with blatant political patronage, with villagers directly accusing the involvement of the brother of MLA Anmol Gagan Mann. “It is shocking that despite 24x7, especially during night large-scale illegal mining, the Mining Department and Punjab Police have turned a blind eye, clearly indicating administrative collapse and political shielding, ” Joshi said.
Demanding accountability, Joshi challenged the Bhagwant Mann led state leadership: “If the AAP government is serious about ending the mining mafia, it must act immediately. Silence and inaction only prove complicity. The people of Punjab are watching.”