Chandigarh: The Punjab government has intensified its ongoing crackdown against unauthorized mineral extraction, executing four targeted enforcement operations across Pathankot, Kapurthala, and Sri Anandpur Sahib. According to Mining and Geology Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, these weekend operations resulted in the confiscation of heavy machinery and commercial vehicles, the filing of formal police cases, and at least one arrest.
In Pathankot, a surprise late-night inspection in Jaswan village led local officials to impound a heavy Poklain excavator along with a tipper truck loaded with approximately 400 cubic feet of gravel. A formal case was subsequently filed at the Taragarh Police Station under the Mines and Minerals Act alongside relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
State officials noted that the site was linked to Trehan Stone Crusher, a facility registered under Navjot Singh that had its license suspended in May 2026. Despite the suspension, the establishment allegedly continued unauthorized operations by utilizing a generator and illegally selling materials while misleading customers about official government approval.
Meanwhile, a coordinated raid by the Mining Department's flying squad and local law enforcement in Khijarpur village, located within the Kapurthala district, yielded the seizure of six tipper trucks, an additional Poklain machine, and a tractor. Investigators found that two of the confiscated tippers were heavily loaded with roughly 800 cubic feet of sand each.
Authorities registered a first information report against a Jalandhar resident named Mical and five other identified individuals in connection with the Kapurthala site. The coordinated sweep across the districts successfully led to one arrest as the state government maintains pressure on illegal resource extraction networks.