A Month Before Arrests, ED Letter Warned Himachal Govt Of Mining Scam, But No Action Taken | Exclusive – News18

Last Updated:November 29, 2024, 06:00 IST

The directorate, in a letter dated October 1 to the chief secretary of the Himachal Pradesh, explained the situation in the region caused by the illegal mining, the allegations, and their findings in detail, urging the state to initiate action and register FIRs. The state,…Read More

The ongoing investigation by the Enforcement Directorate into the illegal stone and sand mining case in Himachal Pradesh’s Beas River—across Una and Kangra districts—has unearthed a web of alleged bribery, shady deals, nighttime operations, and money laundering—activities that experts feel may have fuelled some of the recent natural disasters in the region.

With search operations leading to the arrests of Gian Chand and Sanjay Dhiman last week, the investigation has now cracked open a Pandora’s box. It has prompted the agency to cast a wider net and probe into the alleged links between the accused Gian Chand, and the chief minister’s office, along with some senior Congress leaders. The directorate informed the state government about the alleged illegal mining operations and the bribery nexus through letters in October.

The directorate, in a letter dated October 1 to the chief secretary of the state, explained the situation in the region caused by the illegal mining, the allegations, and their findings in detail, urging the state to initiate action and register FIRs. The state, however, did not take action against the accused persons. The ED arrested Gian Chand a month after the letter was sent.

Based on an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) registered this year combining six FIRs recorded in Himachal Pradesh in Kangra and Una districts and two FIRs recorded in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur and Behat, ED initiated its investigation, following which the directorate stumbled upon a massive trail of illegal mining, an alleged government officers-miners nexus, and “hundreds of crores of laundered cash”.

ED’s ‘tell-all’ letter

In the letter, accessed by News 18, the directorate wrote, “This office is conducting a money laundering investigation based on various FIRs registered by different police stations relating to illegal mining in the districts of Kangra and Una in Himachal Pradesh. In these FIRs, it has been alleged that certain tippers, poclains, JCBs and tractors are actively engaged in illegal mining in Una to Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh.” It added that these vehicles were involved in illegally extracting minerals and consequently unlawfully transporting these minerals to stone crushers by overloaded vehicles, thereby generating the proceeds of crime.

“The said investigation is being conducted by ED in light of the recent increase in natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh and various observations of Hon’ble NGT and other courts,” the letter added.

The directorate further mentioned that following the recent increase in natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh, a multi-sectoral expert committee was established in September 2023, based on the issue by the Government of Himachal Pradesh under the Disaster Management Act. “The objective was to protect the environment and prevent disasters in the Beas river ecosystem, as there is a clear link between these natural disasters and unscientific activities, particularly stone crushers and associated mining operations,” ED stated in its letter.

Explaining the involvement of Gian Chand in the case, the directorate wrote, “The multi-sector committee evaluated the environmental impact of stone crushers and illegal mining activities in various districts of Himachal Pradesh, with a specific focus on the consequences for the riverine ecology of the Beas River and its tributaries. Investigation by ED indicated that multiple entities and particularly M/s Jai Maa Jawala Stone Crusher, owned by Shri Gian Chand, located in Adhwani village, Kangra District is engaged in illegal sand and mineral mining at various places in Kangra and Hamirpur districts including the Beas riverbed.”

Details about Gian Chand’s operation

In the letter, the directorate provided the government with details of Gian Chand’s operation, the findings of the central agency, and the documents seized after search operations, urging the state to initiate a case against the accused persons.

The directorate wrote that its investigation uncovered that Rs 1.80 crore in proceeds from illegal mining by Jai Maa Jawala Stone Crusher was used to acquire Garhwal Stone Crusher in Bartha, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Partners in the venture, including Gian Chand (75%), Sanjay Dhiman (8%), Dharmendra Singh, and Sanjay Sharma, are under scrutiny.

The agency further stated that their searches, conducted at Garhwal Stone Crusher on October 26, 2024, revealed 7,182 cubic metres (24,822 quintals) of illegally mined crushed material, confirmed by a joint inspection involving ED officials and a local mining inspector.

Seized records show unaccounted transactions of illegally sourced minerals, indicating that Garhwal Stone Crusher was processing illicit riverbed minerals into products like sand, bajri, boulders, and stone dust. These operations were conducted off the books, bypassing mandatory regulations and forms (C-form and EMM-11) of Uttar Pradesh’s mining department, ED wrote.

News 18 reached out to Himachal Pradesh’s Jal Shakti minister Mukesh Agnihotri through calls and text messages. While the minister is yet to respond, Naresh Chauhan, principal media adviser of the state’s chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, told News 18, “We are not aware of the particular allegations and the case. We have to collect information and get back.”