Haryana planning to erect pillars in Aravalis to prevent illegal mining

The government officials said that when intercepted, these illegal miners pretend that they did not realise entering Haryana and that they have the required permit to quarry stones in Rajasthan

In a first, the Haryana government is planning to erect pillars on its borders with Rajasthan in the South to demarcate the state's area from its neighbour, The Times of India (ToI) has reported. This is being planned as the mining department wants to define the porous borders as Aravalis have become a spot for illegal mining.

According to the law, mining is banned in South Haryana, however, the same is not true for Rajasthan. Playing to their advantage, the mining mafia extends their operations into the borders of Haryana, and the terrain of the Aravalis further supports them to do so.

Sharing information on the matter, government officials told the newspaper that when intercepted, these illegal miners pretend that they did not realise entering Haryana and they have the required permit to quarry stones in Rajasthan.

To prevent such a situation, the mining department announced on Tuesday, July 18 that they have identified the villages from Ghata Shamsabad to Rawli in Nuh to erect the pillars.

Mining officer of Gurgaon and Nuh, Anil Atwal was quoted in the ToI report as saying, "We have already started the work. We have identified villages where we stall pillars so that we can stop people from venturing into Aravali forest areas from Rajasthan."

Mining of the Aravalis in Haryana was banned in 2009 after a Supreme Court order. However, illegal mining still continues to cut the Aravalis which act as the only barrier between Rajasthan and North India, the report said. Without Aravalis at guard, deserts from Rajasthan are likely to expand into the fertile plains of north India.

Data from the mining department showed that penalties as high as Rs 1.39 crore were imposed on those involved in illegal mining alongside the seizure of 71 vehicles in the Nuh district.

The menace of illegal mining made national headlines last year in July when DSP Surender Singh of Haryana Police was killed when he was on a mining patrol in Nuh's Pachgaon.