Mining firm accused of diverting Yamuna flow for illegal sand extraction in Sonepat
A mining company operating in Asadpur village of Sonepat district has come under fire for allegedly constructing an illegal bundh in the Yamuna riverbed, disrupting the river’s natural flow to facilitate unauthorised sand mining.
The violations came to light during an inspection conducted by a special team of the Irrigation Department on Thursday. Acting on the findings, the department issued a show-cause notice to the company and recommended immediate cessation of all mining activities at the site.
The Chief Engineer of the Irrigation and Water Resources Department has directed that all operations by the company be stopped immediately and that legal proceedings be initiated for violations of environmental and mining regulations.
A special inquiry committee, headed by SDM Sonepat, has also been constituted by Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar to conduct a detailed probe. The committee includes representatives from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Mining Department and Irrigation Department.
“The report of the Irrigation Department has been received. A special committee has been formed under the supervision of SDM Sonepat to thoroughly investigate the mining activities carried out by the company in the Yamuna,” said Manoj Kumar, Deputy Commissioner.
During Thursday’s inspection, a team led by Superintending Engineer RK Boadwal, along with Executive Engineers Ashish Kaushik and Gulshan Kumar, and SDO Himanshu, visited the site and reported gross violations.
According to the team’s report submitted to the Chief Engineer of the Delhi Division, the company — Zelkova Buildcon Private Limited — was found to be illegally extracting sand directly from the active stream of the Yamuna using heavy machinery. The company had also allegedly constructed multiple unauthorised access paths and diverted the river’s natural course to enable deeper and more extensive sand excavation.
The inspection report flagged violations under multiple laws and guidelines, including the Environmental Protection Act, Sand Mining Guidelines, National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
“Severe violations and illegal sand mining were observed. The company is actively mining sand directly from the Yamuna stream, and has altered the natural river flow — an action that calls for immediate intervention,” revealed the inspection team’s report.
The findings were also sent to the Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner of Police, Assistant Mining Engineer and Regional Officer of HSPCB for further action.
The Chief Engineer of Yamuna and Water Services (South) has reiterated that all operations of Zelkova Buildcon must be halted and the firm be booked under all applicable laws.
Haryana Tribune