Gurdaspur Member of Parliament (MP) Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was visiting the Ghanian-Bet area in Batala subdivision when scores of people engaged in illegal mining in the Ravi saw his cavalcade and, fearing that the police had arrived, fled, leaving behind nearly 80 sand-laden trucks, tippers, earth-moving machines and other equipment.
The MP was travelling with a dozen of his security personnel.
“One of my Delhi-based friends, Iqbal Singh, had constructed 25 houses which were completely damaged during last year’s floods. He had been insisting for the past few days that I pay a visit. On my way there, I saw people running helter-skelter after abandoning their trucks,” said the MP.
He immediately informed Batala SSP Dr Mehtab Singh, who dispatched police parties to deal with the situation.
The police arrested one person, while the others fled on foot towards agricultural fields and managed to escape.
“The Punjab Government is making tall claims that unauthorised excavation of sand and other mining material has been banned. I invite the CM, his ministers and officials here to see for themselves that illegal mining is continuing rampantly,” he added.
He claimed that the most dangerous aspect of the activity was that the Ravi was changing its course.
An official said unauthorised mechanical extraction and the creation of temporary roads disrupted the natural water drainage mechanism, forcing active water channels to carve new paths and increasing the risk of flash floods in nearby villages.
Randhawa said, “This damage is highly concentrated along the India-Pakistan International Border in the twin districts of Gurdaspur and Pathankot. Deep gorges and ditches left by illegal mining weaken river embankments, making surrounding areas highly susceptible to flooding and altering the river’s flow. This is a highly dangerous proposition and needs to be checked immediately.”
Experts opine that a shift in a river’s course over time, as is happening with the Ravi, is extremely dangerous because it can unleash civilization-altering floods, destroy infrastructure and displace communities.