KATHUA: Heavy excavators and dumpers used by an NHAI contractor who was engaged in unlawful extraction close to a bridge over the Sahar Khad National Highway were seized in Kathua. District Mineral Officer (DMO) Kathua Rajinder Singh Rana, who was on a routine visit to Sahar Khad and the surrounding areas to check on illicit mining activities, was the one who started the action.The incident was promptly reported to Deputy Commissioner Kathua Rakesh Minhas, who further asked DMO to immediately cease the excavation work and impound the machinery used in illegal mining. According to reports, the excavator removed 500 MT worth of minor minerals from the Khad, and in accordance with the regulations of the Geology and Mining Department, machinery used for unauthorised and illegal mining is subject to a fine of about 2 lakhs. On the instruction of Senior Superintendent of Police Kathua Shivdeep Singh Jamwal, the confiscated excavator and dumpers were delivered to a police party dispatched by the police station in Kathua.
