Major drive launched against illegal mining

Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, Aug 4: Amid complaints of illegal mining in Suran River, a joint team comprised of Naib Tehsildars Maroof Khan, Akhter Abbas, Anmol Singh and Abdul Qayoom along with a police party raided various illegal mining locations alongside Suran River in Poonch.
Officials said that on majority of the locations, the drivers of the vehicles collecting material from the river beds fled from the spot leaving their Trolleys and Tippers behind.
Tyres of 23 such vehicles were deflated and details have been collected for registration of FIRs, said the officials.
To curb this menace, five ramps constructed for facilitating illegal mining were also destroyed and apart from that four vehicles were seized and some fine was also imposed on few of the drivers.
An Executive Magistrate said that the raids were conducted in Degwar, Shehar-e-Khas, Khanetar and Jhullas sectors.
The whole exercise was conducted on the directions of Deputy Commissioner Poonch, under the supervision of Tehsildar Haveli Anjum Khattak and SHO Haveli Ranjit Singh Rao.