Punjab CM spots illegal mining from helicopter; orders probe

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday tweeted aerial photos taken from his helicopter, of what he said was illegal mining on the banks of Sutlej River in Phillaur (Jalandhar) and Rahon (Nawanshahr).

Singh was on his way to inaugurate the Jang-e-Azadi memorial at Kartarpur, when he spotted some JCB machines evidently engaged in illegal mining on the Sutlej banks in Phillaur and Rahon. Singh said that he immediately ordered a probe and asked the concerned DCs and SSPs to seize the equipment. The CM asserted that responsibility would be fixed.

Earlier in February, Punjab Local Bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu speaking in Jalandhar had hinted at rampant illegal mining in the state. The next day, Capt Amarinder Singh had announced a crackdown on illegal mining in Punjab.