SAD Alleges Illegal Sand Mining Under Flood Protection Guise
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of running an illegal sand mining racket in Nawanshahr, claiming the operation was disguised as flood protection work. SAD leader Sukhdeep Singh Sukar alleged that the activity was disrupting the natural flow of the Sutlej River and could trigger flooding in 50 villages.
In a video address from Malikpur village, Sukar said villagers reported that hundreds of tipper trucks and several tractor-trolleys were operating at the site on Wednesday alone. He claimed the collected sand was not being used for flood protection but was being sold at Rs 10,000 per tipper truck.
Multiple Mining Sites Endanger Villages, River Embankment
Sukar further alleged that illegal mining was occurring at several locations, including Begowal and Lallewal villages, endangering these and other villages by increasing flood risk and damaging the river embankment. He claimed that although only about nine acres were allotted for mining between Rod Majri and Dhulewal block villages in Ludhiana district, sand was being extracted from hundreds of acres.
The leader added that the embankment had sunk by three to four feet in several places due to continuous movement of overloaded trucks, posing a serious flood threat to dozens of nearby villages.
Government Denies Damage, Cites Inspection
Nawanshahr Deputy Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh, when contacted, said that one site at Malikpur had been allotted for desilting. “There is no damage to the embankment. We recently conducted an inspection, and the embankment has been certified as safe,” he said.
