Setback to Punjab as HC puts stay on new legal mining policy
Chandigarh, September 14: In a major setback to the Punjab Government, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday put a stay on the new legal mining policy of the state in which term "excavation" was used that allowed extraction of minerals.
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The petitioner alleged that an attempt had been made to convert illegal mining into legal one by using a new word. Besides, the Punjab Government did not get environment clearance for the same.
The advocate representing the Punjab Government assured the court that nothing would be done on this mining policy till the next date of hearing.
According to the Punjab Government’s recent policy, the new term ‘ excavation’ was used that allowed extraction of minerals and then sell or use for commercial purposes.
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Understanding the policy
Several farmers in Punjab were already into illegal sand mining in their fields. The new policy allowed all farmers to extract up to three-feet earth from their fields without any environment clearance certificate. However, as per experts, the soil's top layer is of the best quality. It contains all important nutrients. They are of the belief that if this upper layer or soil head that is the most fertile is mined, this would destroy the most fertile layer. This damage is "irreparable", say experts, adding that it may take hundreds of years to form it again. -PTC News
