Railway and NH bridge collapses blamed on illegal mining in Nurpur

26 Aug 2022 CW Team

The administration in Nurpur was repeatedly warned about the threat that mining poses to the bridges on the Chakki rivulet, a tributary of the Beas.

The collapse of the interstate railway and national highway bridges connecting the state with Punjab could have been avoided if the government had heeded the villagers' persistent pleas to stop illegal mining on the banks of the Chakki rivulet.

The railway bridge for the Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow gauge line washed away on august 20, while the national highway single-lane bridge over the Chakki collapsed in July 2007 (the new one was built in 2011).

Numerous complaints on the CM helpline, numerous representations to the Chief Minister, the Mining Department, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Nurpur), and a sizable protest in front of the Dharamsala Vidhan Sabha in December 2019 went unanswered. The call for declaring Chakki rivulet a no-mining zone has grown louder as a result of the collapse of two bridges at Kandwal in Nurpur in the space of 15 years, with the locals adamant that mining be prohibited there. According to the HP Mining Rules, 2015, mining is prohibited within 200 and 300 meters of the NH Bridge, but there are telltale signs of mining activity on the riverbed. In addition, the Railways had also written to Punjab and HP to inquire about the illegal mining that was endangering the rail bridge.

The threat of mining persists despite the extravagant promises made by succeeding governments to stop it, allegedly pointing to a close connection between the mining mafia, political figures, and the bureaucracy.

According to Hoshiyar Singh, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh's Kangra chapter, illegal mining had a negative impact on 15 villages in Nurpur's Jikli Khanni, Uprli-Khanni, Hadal, and Baduee panchayats. “Illegal mining is carried out at night, but the authorities concerned turn a blind eye,” he alleged. He added that the underground water sources have dried up and the agricultural land has become barren as a result of the illegal mining.

The Mining Department and the police would work together effectively to control the threat, according to Nipun Jindal, Deputy Commissioner of Kangra.

The administration in Nurpur was repeatedly warned about the threat that mining poses to the bridges on the Chakki rivulet, a tributary of the Beas. The collapse of the interstate railway and national highway bridges connecting the state with Punjab could have been avoided if the government had heeded the villagers' persistent pleas to stop illegal mining on the banks of the Chakki rivulet. The railway bridge for the Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow gauge line washed away on august 20, while the national highway single-lane bridge over the Chakki collapsed in July 2007 (the new one was built in 2011). Numerous complaints on the CM helpline, numerous representations to the Chief Minister, the Mining Department, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Nurpur), and a sizable protest in front of the Dharamsala Vidhan Sabha in December 2019 went unanswered. The call for declaring Chakki rivulet a no-mining zone has grown louder as a result of the collapse of two bridges at Kandwal in Nurpur in the space of 15 years, with the locals adamant that mining be prohibited there. According to the HP Mining Rules, 2015, mining is prohibited within 200 and 300 meters of the NH Bridge, but there are telltale signs of mining activity on the riverbed. In addition, the Railways had also written to Punjab and HP to inquire about the illegal mining that was endangering the rail bridge. The threat of mining persists despite the extravagant promises made by succeeding governments to stop it, allegedly pointing to a close connection between the mining mafia, political figures, and the bureaucracy. According to Hoshiyar Singh, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh's Kangra chapter, illegal mining had a negative impact on 15 villages in Nurpur's Jikli Khanni, Uprli-Khanni, Hadal, and Baduee panchayats. “Illegal mining is carried out at night, but the authorities concerned turn a blind eye,” he alleged. He added that the underground water sources have dried up and the agricultural land has become barren as a result of the illegal mining. The Mining Department and the police would work together effectively to control the threat, according to Nipun Jindal, Deputy Commissioner of Kangra. See also: Illegal mining leaves state villages vulnerableAmendments to mining laws get cabinet nod

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