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Time of India
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Aravalis under attack: Haryana urges SC to ban mining 5km inside Rajasthan; leaseholders under lens
GURGAON: Acknowledging that illegal mining was rampant on the Haryana side of the border with Rajasthan, the state govt has urged Supreme Court to prohibit mining up to 5km inside Rajasthan to prevent further damage to Aravali ranges, reports Ipsita Pati. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In an affidavit filed on Wednesday, Haryana chief secretary Anurag Rastogi accused mining leaseholders from Rajasthan of encroaching on Haryana territory, blasting Aravali hilltops near the border, and displacing boundary pillars to misrepresent mining zones. The hearing is on in SC, which had earlier this year rebuked Rastogi for not doing enough to prevent destruction of Aravalis after miners brought down a hillock in Basai Meo village along the border. Mining is banned on the Haryana side of the Aravalis under a 2009 SC order. It's allowed, however, on the Rajasthan side. Survey to demarcate buffer zone in Raj proposed by Hry Assuring the court of full compliance with its orders, the affidavit says: "Illegal road construction, misuse of forest land and cross-border mining activity represent not just an environmental crisis but a breakdown of regulatory coordination." The Haryana affidavit proposes a Survey of India exercise to demarcate a 5km-wide no-mining buffer zone inside Rajasthan, which will serve as a protective barrier for Haryana's vulnerable Aravali landscape. The affidavit also claimed that interstate boundary markers had been systematically displaced, allowing leaseholders to extract minerals from Haryana's protected Aravali zone. "Despite multiple requests from Haryana, Rajasthan authorities have failed to share leaseholder details or participate in joint boundary demarcation," the affidavit notes. Both Haryana and Rajasthan now have BJP govts. Investigation by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (SVACB) revealed two illegal forest roads were constructed from Basai Meo to villages in Deeg (Rajasthan), directly connecting to active mining and crusher zones. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "These roads reduced transport distance to Rajasthan's mines from 25-30 km to just 2-3 km, allowing dumpers to bypass mining, transport and police checks," the affidavit states. An estimated Rs 13 crore was spent on building these roads, allegedly with the former Basai Meo sarpanch's connivance. The sarpanch has been suspended from the post. "...it is clear that leaseholders, crusher owners, illegal mining material transportation occurred through these illegally constructed roads as it not only reduced the distance and transportation cost but also resulted in loss to govt exchequer (royalty, toll, overload, etc). To address this issue, a Demi-Official (DO) letter No. 3925/MB dated June 9, 2025, was sent by Deputy Commissioner, Nuh to the District Collector, Deeg (Rajasthan) for strengthening the vigil at the interstate border. Regular meetings shall be held on a regular basis (sic)," the affidavit states. SVACB filed an FIR in June 2025 against multiple officials and private persons, including the former sarpanch of Basai Meo, who remains absconding with a Rs 50,000 bounty on his arrest. Four revenue officials are among five persons who have been arrested so far. A committee has, meanwhile, been formed under the conservator of forests, Gurgaon, to oversee Aravali restoration and monitoring, supported by monthly satellite reports and drone mapping. "The forest department has constituted a committee for satellite surveillance and monitoring of Aravali landscape. HARSAC will provide satellite image-based monthly reports of illegal non-forestry activities in Aravali of Nuh district. Drones are being arranged through Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRHSHYA)," the affidavit says. HARSAC is acronym for Haryana Space Applications Centre, which is based in Hisar. Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, appearing for the petitioners in the case, said, "The situation in Basai Meo is a textbook case of ecological injustice. Rampant illegal mining, unauthorised road carving, and blatant destruction of wetland ecosystems are not isolated violations, they represent a consistent failure of governance." On Dec 23 last year, TOI reported around 6,000 metric tonnes of stones were illegally mined after a hillock in Rava was blasted into pieces on the night of Dec 19. This was done just days after Haryana mining department officials inspected the area and noticed new excavations in Rava. Another TOI report from January this year noted that the forest department ordered action against three revenue officials for allowing illegal construction of the road in Basai Meo.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Palwal CMO seeks s 15L bribe to let hospital operate, caught in sting op
Gurgaon: The state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau arrested Palwal's chief medical officer (CMO) after he was caught accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh at his official residence in a sting operation organised on Thursday night. Officials said Palwal resident Manohar, one of the three partners of Sunrise Trauma Hospital in the south Haryana district, complained to the state vigilance bureau last week that CMO Dr Jai Bhagwan was demanding a bribe of Rs 15 lakh to let the facility operate. Manohar alleged that the CMO threatened to shut down the facility by claiming that there were deficiencies in its functioning. The hospital, according to Manohar, was opened three months ago by him and two others – Dheeraj and Subhash. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon Manohar said he had already paid Rs 6 lakh to the CMO at his official residence in Palwal last month. A second tranche of Rs 1 lakh was given on July 2. The CMO was allegedly pressuring the hospital owner to pay the remaining bribe by saying he had to pay the share of other senior officers too. Manohar said he had limited resources and decided to approach the vigilance department and use Rs 1 lakh as bait for the sting operation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Beachfront Living in Mumbai at Sunteck Beach Residences Sunteck Realty Learn More Undo On Thursday night, an SVACB team from Gurgaon laid a trap as Manohar, equipped with covert recording devices and body-worn cameras, went to the CMO's house. Dr Bhagwan was arrested as soon as he took the cash. SVACB also carried out a search at the house and found cash worth Rs 3 lakh in a cupboard there. "A case has been registered against the accused under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 308(2) (extortion) of BNS. Further investigation is underway," a member of the SVACB said on Friday. Sources told TOI that the CMO may have sought bribes related to administrative permissions or contractual clearances under the health department. Investigators are looking into the possibility of the involvement of other officials in the district health department. Dr Bhagwan has been suspended in the past after being accused of serious allegations. In 2020, while he was the Jind CMO, Dr Bhagwan was suspended after a departmental probe found irregularities in the recruitment of ayurvedic medical officers. He was accused of manipulating vacancy declarations and bypassing merit-based selections. The same year, while serving as the civil surgeon in Kaithal, he led a raid on a diagnostics centre suspected of conducting illegal prenatal sex determination tests. But the officer was suspended soon after, following a complaint filed by a local BJP MLA. His suspension triggered statewide protests, with the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association calling it unjust and punishment for his efforts to curb illegal practices. Dr Bhagwan, during his stint as the Gurgaon CMO, was accused of molestation by a nurse in 2018. Then, in 2021, as Sonipat's principal medical officer, an FIR for molestation was registered against him after a doctor alleged that he had sent her obscene messages. He was suspended by the health department a third time.
