India News | Congress Demands CBI Probe into Dadam Mining Site Incident
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Congress on Monday demanded a CBI probe into the Dadam mining site incident in Haryana's Bhiwani district in January, in which five people were killed and three were injured following a landslide.
Chandigarh, Mar 14 (PTI) Congress on Monday demanded a CBI probe into the Dadam mining site incident in Haryana's Bhiwani district in January, in which five people were killed and three were injured following a landslide.
The opposition leaders claimed that illegal mining was going on in various places in the state, and that mining norms were flagrantly violated at the Dadam site leading to the incident. "This is a serious issue. I had visited the site and people over there told me how norms were flagrantly violated... No one is touching the big fish. We demand a thorough investigation by CBI in the entire incident," Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, said in the House.
Some opposition MLAs including Congress' Bharat Bhushan Batra, Aftab Ahmed, Geeta Bhukkal, Kiran Choudhary, and INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala had given a ‘Calling Attention Notice' on the "illegal mining" in Bhiwani and the Dadam incident. The issue saw a heated exchange between the opposition and treasury benches. Responding to Hooda's demand for a CBI probe, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the matter is being investigated by three agencies including the Mines Safety Committee, and the government will wait for these reports to come to a conclusion. "However, if anyone will try to create pressure … we will not act like that," Khattar said. Once these reports come, If necessary, the government is ready to get the investigation done by any independent agency, but not under anybody's pressure, he said, adding, at present there is no need to get the matter investigated by CBI. Responding, Hooda said, "If you are not getting it probed by CBI, we will stage a walkout.”
The Congress members staged a brief walkout following the call. Earlier, while speaking on the notice, Congress' B B Batra alleged a big mining scam in Dadam area. "In Dadam, the mountain was being cut straight at 90 degree angle instead of 60 degree. Five workers died and few were injured in the incident in January. Mining officials did not take any action when norms were being violated. Safety norms were not followed. Had government acted on time the incident could have been avoided," he said.
Another Congress leader Kiran Choudhary alleged that "not just Dadam, but illegal mining is taking place in entire Haryana including in Yamunanagar, Khanak.” Chautala said the minister concerned in a reply to him admitted there was illegal mining in Dadam.
"The permissible mining was allowed till 150 feet, but the mining took place for 350-400 feet deep. He has admitted it in his reply,” he said. "One of the ministers has said that illegal mining did take place in 2014. What action was taken by you in the last seven years?" asked the lone INLD MLA. He asked why the government did not conduct a safety check before the mining was resumed at the site after some gap. "Did the government provide any financial assistance to those who lost their lives?" he asked. Congress' Geeta Bhukkal demanded a “thorough probe” into the matter.
In January, the state government had set up a nine-member committee headed by a retired IAS officer to probe the Dadam mining site accident.
Shortly after the incident, Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja too had demanded a judicial probe monitored by a sitting Supreme Court judge, while Hooda had held the state's BJP-JJP government responsible for the incident, alleging a “scam of thousands of crores” in the Dadam mining zone.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)