Hooda accuses BJP govt of protecting mining mafia

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday launched a sharp attack on the state’s BJP-led government, accusing it of openly shielding illegal mining operations and causing massive revenue losses.

“The state government itself is giving protection to illegal mining and the mafia. Examples of this can be seen from Chhachhrauli to Palwal,” Hooda said, citing a recent incident in Chhachhrauli as a glaring example of administrative collusion.

He alleged that a dumper filled with illegally mined soil was seized by the police and kept at the local police station. However, it was later taken elsewhere, emptied and the now-empty dumper was quietly brought back and parked at the station.

“It is clear that such news reports constitute eyewitness examples of no action being taken against illegal mining and administrative collusion,” Hooda asserted.

He said illegal mining along the Yamuna stretches across multiple districts — from Yamunanagar to Palwal — and that the mafia continues to operate without fear of action.

“In Palwal, many temporary bridges have been built on the Yamuna to extract sand illegally. It is evident that neither any official nor environmental approval was taken for these illegal bridges,” Hooda claimed.

He further alleged that this unchecked illegal mining is not only costing the state thousands of crores in revenue, but also contributing to environmental disasters.

“Such illegal mining had led to the floods in 2023, as the flow of the river was altered due to the illicit extraction of sand,” Hooda said. “When the water rushed in from higher elevations in the north, it ended up inundating residential areas.”

He recalled that during the 2023 floods, the Congress had raised its voice against both the illegal mining activities and the government’s negligence.

“We took to the streets and raised these issues in the Assembly,” he said.

Haryana Tribune