ગુજરાતી
English
Many mines closed
400 illegal mining mafias get royal shelter
Politicians and officials responsible for looting billions of rupees in 30 years!
Dilip Patel
Ahmedabad, June 20, 2024 (Google translation from Gujarati)
Mining mafia extracts stones from stone mines on the Porbandar sea coast and people’s natural wealth is being looted. Politicians, Talati, Sarpanch, some members of Panchayat, some members of Talutka Panchalat, police as well as some people get monthly installments from 300-400 illegal mines on the 150 km coast from Miani to Madhavpur. Therefore some mines have been closed.
The price of one mine installment is 1 lakh 35 thousand. It is alleged that monthly installments of 3 to 5 crores are being taken. Some people of Porbandar complained about this to Manoj Kumar Das, Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department.
In 2022, Congress met the collector and told that 400 illegal mines are running in the district. Monthly Rs. 100 crore worth of stone is stolen. This means that Rs. 1200 crore stone scam. By looting the property of the public, the government suffers a loss of 5 thousand crores in 5 years and 10 thousand crores in 10 years.
400 illegal mines have been dug in Porbandar from Miani to Madhavpur. The business of stone theft has been going on for the last 30 years. Now it has increased in the government of Bhupendra Patel and Vijay Rupani. The country’s property is being looted in the BJP government, which calls itself a patriot.
Kutch’s income 16 thousand crores
In 2018, only 3 limestone sites were auctioned in Lakhpat, Lakhpat of Kutch from Gujarat. The government was expecting an income of Rs 16,201 crore from the three blocks. Then this income should really be very high in Porbandar. But this does not happen. Actually, the government should get more from here annually than from Kutch.
Stone in Saurashtra
Saurashtra has a coastline of 765 km. 500 km. Limestone is found in the soil of the area. Limestone is found in Dwarka, Porbandar, Somnath and Junagadh districts. A ruthless mining mafia is illegally mining thousands of metric tonnes of limestone. Limestone is being mined to a depth of 10 to 30 meters in the ground. Recently, the involvement of many political leaders of Saurashtra has been exposed. Mineral theft worth billions of rupees cannot be accounted for. There is direct or indirect collusion between politicians and the system. Used in buildings and cement factories.
When a raid was conducted in Gandhinagar in 2023, a police complaint was lodged against 52 people.
Babu Bokhiria
The government had decided to recover Rs 130 crore for mineral theft from former minister Babu Bokhiria and his companies. The entire scam was said to be worth Rs 1200 to 1500 crore. But due to government pressure, the police registered a case only for mineral theft worth Rs 55 crore. Cases were registered against 11 companies to recover mineral theft worth Rs 250 crore. Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister at that time. However, at one time a police case was registered against Babu Bokhiria for stealing minerals worth Rs 55 crore from the leased land of Saurashtra Chemical.
Apart from this, minerals worth Rs 250 crore were stolen. Orders for recovery of which were given then. At one time Babubhai had to go to jail for 6 months in a case of mineral theft.
The mining mafia of Porbandar is stealing electricity worth crores of rupees.
Steal again
In 2024, Prant Adhikari Sandip Jadav, Additional Collector Mehul Joshi have started stealing from the mines. District Collector KD Lakhani along with Sandeep Jadav’s uncle and elder brothers complained that they started looting public property with them. Demand has been made to close the business and the District Magistrate has been urged to take appropriate action with photo evidence.
Commissioner of Mines Department Dhaval Patel and Flying Squad have complained that they are turning a blind eye. Government land has been dug on a large scale. They steal electricity in large quantities. The Mines and Minerals Department takes action on mines, but rarely discloses the names of their owners.
Royalty
The government gets royalty of Rs. 53 crore from Porbandar. In 116 cases of illegal mining, a fine of Rs. 2 crore 36 lakh was imposed. In which only 13 cases have police complaint or court case. 60 people are arrested every year.
Area of stones
Porbandar stone or Porbandari stone is a famous carbonate rock-stone in India. Which is used in building houses.
The small district of 2300 square kilometers is not being managed by the officials. Its demand has increased for building houses in cities like Ahmedabad, Rajkot. Because the heat in the houses built from it is reduced. There is a demand for miliolite limestone. The British government and kings have used this stone in buildings. This stone of Porbandar has been used for centuries in Rangoon, Karachi, Mumbai, Madras, Cochin and many other cities. In 2017-18, 32 thousand tonnes were exported from Gujarat to Calcutta, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Rangoon.
Fines and theft
In 2019, a fine of Rs 501 crore was outstanding in Porbandar. Mining mafias dig mines from private land and steal stones. According to government records, no new mining has been approved at present. But thousands of metric tonnes of limestone are being stolen from many illegal mines.
Fatana village in Vartu river in May 2024
After the measurement process is completed, strict punitive and punitive legal action will be taken according to the facts that will come to light. According to the sub-district magistrate, as well as
Such action will be taken in future also to curb such illegal mining activities.
As mentioned in the list of Ray Porbandar.
140 quarrymen, stone carriers were caught in 2021. Then there were 96 leases of bauxite and limestone in the district. Out of which only 39 were excavated. The second was closed. There were 409 lease mines of Bailey, building stone. Rs. 2 crore fine was received but 5 crore fine was not paid.
16 Chakardi machines in Ghedna Balaj, Madhavpur, Vartu river Fatana. Valuables worth more than one crore have been seized and deposited in the police station.
Ratadi village
Ratadi village also has mines of stones used in construction work. Mining and related industries are well developed.
On 20 May 2024, 2 tractors, 3 stone cutting chakardi machines, 1 generator, 1 Hitachi machine running under government license in Balaj, Pata and Khambodar were seized.
On 29 May 2024, mines and 16 chakardi machines worth Rs. one crore were seized in Balaj, Madhavpur, Fatana villages of Vartu river.
In February 2023, 15 illegal mines and 40 chakardi, 11 tractors, 4 trucks were caught by the State Surveillance Cell in Kuchadi village near Viswada. Village sarpanch and mine owner Naga Bhima, Balu alias Mama of Madhavpur, Bhivan Velji Kotia of Porbandar, Ebha Das, Hamir Arshi of Oddar, Haja and Raju of Katwana were arrested. Ram Giga Keshwala of Bokhiri, a stone broker,
On 2 December 2023, 6 illegal mines of Ratadi and Viswara were seized with 13 chakkardis.
In June 2022, sand theft was caught in drone camera near Roghra village of Kutiana.
An illegal mine was caught in Balaj village in 2022.
3 mines were caught with 13 chakkardis in Kuchadi village in 2022.
Two years ago on 17 – 08 – 2021, five illegal mines were caught.
While inspecting mines in Madhavpur, Untada, Balaj, Moya villages in 2020, 11 machines were used to steal minerals in three mines in Balaj village.
Illegal mineral theft is taking place in many mines on Gauch land of Miani in May 2021.
4 years ago, Meraman Arjan was running a mine with 7 machines for Rs 7 in Pata village. A notice of theft of 2.54 crores was issued.
Who is responsible
Collector K. D. Lakhani
Resident Additional Collector R. Issaqdar. Raijada
Provincial Officer and SDM S. A. Jadav
Provincial Officer and SDM P. D. Vanda
The annual turnover of mines and industries dependent on them in Saurashtra is Rs. It is estimated to be 50 thousand crores.
Looting of Gujarat’s treasury
Coal mafia Than, Muli, Chotila in Surendranagar has 300 coal mines. 1,000 trucks leave daily. 18 to 20 thousand tonnes of coal is extracted illegally every day. Coal worth Rs 2 crore per day and Rs 600 crore per year is mined. Installments of BJP and Congress leaders come.
Despite large quantities of limestone and bela stone being found in Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Junagadh and Gir Somnath, no raids were conducted.
Salt water
The natural process of water purification has been disrupted due to mining. In 10 years, 10 km of Saurashtra’s coastline is going to become saline. 7 lakh hectares of land in Saurashtra has come under the grip of sea salinity. 534 villages and 12 lakh people have been affected. 50 thousand wells have become useless.
Sea salinity has come to 10 to 15 km from the coast. Which is moving forward by 1 km every year.
Marine ecosystems, mangroves and landscapes etc. are often damaged. As a result, tourism in Porbandar suffers. Farmers in villages where sea sand is mined often have to suffer losses in farming as sea salt enters the village. (Google translation from Gujarati)
