What makes Himachal's #MiningMafia so fearless? On the intervening night of March 8 and 9, as an embarrassment to the forest department and administration of #Kangra district, mining mafia re-opened an illegal road going towards the site of a stone crusher that the police had closed on March 8. On March 8, the forest department closed this illegal road in Sakoh village of Sahpur sub-division of the district, and by the night, the mafia removed the temporary barriers installed by the department. The son of Congress leader Jgdeesh Sipahiya and one of his relative allegedly run the crusher, which was identified as 'Parvati Stone Crusher', said a report published by Hindi Daily Jagran. As per the report, illegal mining is rampant in Sahpur Sub-Division and offenders hardly have any fear of police or laws. The situation is getting quite ugly as illegal mining is being carried out for years between the Alampur (आलमपुर) to Haarsipattan (हारसीपत्तन) stretch and Haroti (हरोटी) and Skaud (स्कॉड) Khad (खड्). The water schemes dependent on these resources are facing a threat from illegal miners as they have dug upto a depth of over 10 feet, leaving huge holes as several spots, said the report. The department has now lodged an FIR against unknown persons. #Dharmashala #HimachalPradesh #Environment #Corruption
