Chandigarh, March 22 — Haryana registered 10,676 illegal mining cases between April 1, 2019, and October 31, 2024, averaging over five cases daily, according to the Economic Survey-2024-25. The crackdown led to ₹345.74 crore in penalties.
The survey, tabled in the Vidhan Sabha on March 17, revealed that 13,118 vehicles involved in illegal mining were seized between August 28, 2019, and November 30, 2024 — nearly seven vehicles per day. Yamunanagar recorded the highest seizures at 2,815, followed by Gurugram and Nuh (1,637) and Faridabad and Palwal (1,366).
Despite the enforcement, the state’s revenue from mining has declined. It peaked at ₹1,019.94 crore in 2020-21 but dropped to ₹814.77 crore in 2023-24. By January 30, 2025, only ₹580.18 crore had been collected.
Congress MP Varun Chaudhary criticized the underutilization of the District Mineral Foundation Fund, meant for rehabilitating mining-affected areas. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, ₹126.71 crore was collected, but only ₹80.63 crore was spent. In Panchkula, of the ₹6.91 crore collected, just ₹1.21 crore was used, with no spending recorded since 2021-22. Palwal, Ambala, and Rewari saw no spending at all.
“The state gets revenue and miners get minerals, but villages suffer with dust, poor roads, and other issues. It is painful to see the administration merely making FDs in banks instead of using the fund,” Chaudhary said.
