Villagers, Traders’ Body Submit Memorandum Over Illegal Soil Mining

A delegation of the traders’ body, along with rural residents, submitted a memorandum to the mining officer in Sambhal/Bahjoi over alleged illegal soil mining and demanded protection from what they described as harassment of traders.

The delegation met the mining officer under the leadership of district president Prem Grover. The traders said that in Sambhal district, a syndicate involved in soil mining had “broken the back” of the common public and traders. They alleged that in the name of permission, rules were being ignored and people were being looted.

According to the traders, soil worth 100 is being supplied for ₹500. They said this has led to harassment of traders, who are being forced to pay excessive amounts to those holding permissions. The delegation also alleged that such people are working to tarnish the image of the present government.

The traders claimed that the morale of mining mafias is high in all tehsils of Sambhal district. They said that while the state’s head, Honourable Yogi Adityanath, is running schemes to promote traders, these people are harassing the common public as well as traders by not making soil available at the right price.

The memorandum said the situation is creating problems in factory work and house construction. The traders claimed that construction and related work have come to a halt because soil is not available at the correct price.

The delegation demanded that the mining officer take concrete steps to resolve these problems so that the public as well as traders can get relief, and Sambhal district can move towards development.

Among those present while submitting the memorandum were mainly Yuva Pradesh Mantri Shah Alam Mansoori, Yuva district president Sagar Gupta, Naman Sharma, Abhay Kumar, Mohammad Saddam Chishti, Ved Prakash, Chetram, Rajpal, Ram Singh, Suraj Kumar and Jafar Hussain. A large number of traders were also present.