Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha on Saturday alleged that illegal sand mining is being carried out in Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s constituency Chamkaur Sahib as he paid a surprise visit to a village there. Terming it an “expose”, Mr. Chadha also accused the Congress Government in the State of “patronising” the sand mafia.
Mr. Chadha made the accusations after he visited Jindapur village in Chamkaur Sahib.
“Illegal sand mining in Charanjit Singh Channi’s constituency has been exposed. It is the biggest expose which will shake Punjab politics,” Mr. Chadha told reporters at the site.
“We are in Jindapur village, which is in the CM’s constituency Chamkaur Sahib. Illegal sand mining is going on here openly. Sand is being illegally ferried in trucks,” the AAP leader said.
Mr. Chadha said when Mr. Channi became the CM, he had declared that those connected with the sand mafia should not try to approach him. “But here we can see this mafia is enjoying the patronage of the ruling outfit,” he alleged.
He said as per their estimates, 800 to 1,000 trucks,filled with sand were being taken out. “Right under the CM’s nose and in his own constituency,” he alleged.
“Mr. Channi's hoardings can be seen that his Government has checked various mafia... his claims are hollow. Another claim that people were getting sand at ₹5 per cubic feet is also hollow,” Mr. Chadha claimed.
He also alleged that a forest officer wrote to the local SHO and tehsildar about illegal mining. “He wrote the letter on November 22 and just a day later he was transferred.”
