AAP in the dock as mining officer's letter exposes govt mining scam/Tikshan Sood

 AAP in the dock as mining officer's letter exposes govt mining scam/Tikshan Sood

Hoshiarpur/Daljeet Ajnoha/Mar 3

Senior BJP leader and former Cabinet Minister Tikshan Sood, in a press note reacting to rampant illegal mining in Punjab, alleged that government officials are colluding with political figures to loot the state's resources.Ahead of the Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had made illegal mining a major issue, fiercely criticizing rival parties. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal even claimed that an AAP government would generate an extra ₹54,000 crore in revenue to fix Punjab's finances, including ₹20,000 crore by curbing illegal mining. Yet, after four years in power, illegal mining continues unabated with political and official collusion, causing massive losses to the state exchequer.A recent letter from a Mining Department SDO has blown the lid off AAP's governance and corruption. Addressed to the Chief Minister, it reveals that senior department officials are extorting ₹2 lakh each month from illegal crushers. The government has no response to these corruption charges. Complaints of ongoing illegal mining in the Kandi area keep pouring in, but the administration remains silent.Sood asserted that this illegal mining racket couldn't thrive without government and political patronage. He claimed AAP leaders are invariably linked to all such cases, emboldening officials to demand hefty bribes. "This entire nexus operates right under the government's nose, with clear complicity from those in power," he added.