STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Despite total ban on mining in violation of rules and norms, illegal mining continues unabated near Fly Over Bridge at Lalyal in Marh area of Jammu District on the Ring Road within the distance of 50 meters from the piers, notwithstanding strict restriction on extraction of sand, Shingle and boulders from the river beds within a distance of 500 meters.
As per reports, the illegal mining starts at 7:30 AM onwards and dozens of tractors and dumpers can be seen extracting the sand, boulders etc and transporting these for sale on exorbitant rates.
The reports add that the mining mafia has created a strong network, which keeps track on the clandestine menace with mafia persons conveying messages on mobile phones about any police movement in the vulnerable areas so that they disperse from the spots to avert any action.
In spite of best efforts by the police and the Department of Mining, the ‘sand mafia’, as they are called in common parlance, continues with the illegal mining in the river beds, which even causes severe threat to the foundation of bridges.