EXPLAINER: Yamunanagar hit by another illicit mining case
A number of cases of illegal mining activities came to light in Yamunanagar district in past some years. The authorities of the Mines and Geology Department have taken action against persons indulging in the illegal business of mining by lodging FIRs and imposing fines on them. Now, the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau has detected one more case of alleged illegal mining activity. As per investigation of the Enforcement Bureau, carried out on the directions of Amitabh Singh Dhillon, Additional Director General of Police, Haryana State Enforcement Bureau, the owners of a number of stone crushers and screening plants were found engaged in processing of illegally mined minerals (mining minerals) in three districts Yamunanagar, Ambala and Panchkula.
How many crushers were found involved in the case?
In Yamunanagar district, several stone crushers and screening plants were reportedly found engaged in processing of illegally mined minerals. Out of them, 17 stone crushers and screening plants were issued notices on July 30, 2025. These notices were issued by the Director-General of Mines and Geology Department, Haryana, who directed the owners of the stone crushers and screening plants to appear in his office for a personal hearing on August 4 to explain their side.
How did the matter come to light?
The authorities of the Enforcement Bureau got information that online portals of a number of stone crushers were non-functional on the e-rawana portal of the Mines and Geology Department, enabling /stopping them from making any sale/ purchase of mining minerals. The GST return was also nil of several such stone crushers and screening plants justifying that they were non-operational on record of the Mining Department. But, on the contrary, the electricity consumption of such stone crushers was very high, indicating the engagement of such stone crushers in processing of illegally mined minerals. When the authorities of the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau checked the record of the stone crushers and screening plants, several stone crushers and screening plants were found engaged in processing of illegally mined minerals.
What records did the Enforcement Bureau collect?
The Enforcement Bureau got the record of electricity bills from Haryana Power Utilities and the record of GST return from Sales Tax Department of all stone crushers of Yamunanagar district from December 2023 to March 2025 to identify the crushers engaged in processing of illegally mined minerals. The Enforcement Bureau undertook a systematic verification of actual processing of minerals by the stone crushers and screening plants. While checking the electricity bills/e-rawana bills, the Enforcement Bureau found that a number of stone crushers and screening plants had processed the minerals illegally.
What losses did the government suffer?
Such stone crushers and screening plants were being run illegally using illegally mined minerals, causing huge revenue losses to the Mines and Geology Department, Excise and Taxation Department (Sales Tax), Income Tax Department and other government departments.
Has the Mining Department failed to perform its duty?
The experts associated with the mining business say that it is quite shocking that being the prime responsibility of the Mining Department to check such illegal operation of stone crushers and also other illegal mining activities, the same has been checked in detail by the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau. They say that the officers of the Mining Department got FIRs lodged from time to time against persons involved in illegal mining activities, but they failed to prevent illegal mining activities effectively. The connivance of some of the officers of the department with the mafias indulging in organised illegal mining activities can’t be ruled out.
Haryana Tribune