Haryana: Mining Mafia Paid Over ₹1 Crore Bribe to Build Illegal Aravalli Road, Chargesheet Reveals

A Haryana Police chargesheet has exposed alleged high-level collusion between the mining mafia and government officials in facilitating illegal mining operations in the Aravalli region, revealing that over ₹1 crore in bribes was allegedly paid to construct and operate an unauthorised access road.

According to the chargesheet, accessed by The Tribune, crusher owners and mining operators from Rajasthan pooled money to build an illegal road in the Ferozpur Jhirka area of Nuh district, which became a crucial route for transporting illegally mined stone into and out of Haryana while bypassing regulatory checks.

Investigators have alleged that the office of one of the then Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) in Nuh was involved in the conspiracy. The chargesheet claims a ₹40 lakh bribe demand was made to allow uninterrupted use of the road. Several district revenue officials have also been named, accused of manipulating an ongoing chakbandi (land consolidation) process to falsely convert the illegal track into a “revenue road”.

The reportage explores the testimony of the witnesses about bribes being demanded to avoid measures being taken against the illegal road and the large-scale mining being carried out illegally associated with the said road. The said illegal road facilitated the transportation of heavy-laden trucks carrying mined materials without an environmental clearance or the required mining permission.

There are 112 prosecution witnesses, including common witnesses, government officials, as well as contractors and intermediaries, as per the chargesheet. Evidence produced includes "call detail records, satellite imagery, photographs, spot inspections, government correspondence, as well as statements of witnesses."One of the most important supporting facts for the prosecution case is the confession of ex-sarpanch Mohammad Hanif alias Hanna, who has been termed an invaluable link between the mining mafia and the administration of Nuh.

The police stated that this road has been intentionally built and continually improved to maintain and facilitate Mining. Despite villagers' complaints to authorities, their issues were allegedly not addressed but were documented as resolved.

The villagers have been opposing the construction of the road, and their reasons relate to damaged farmlands, dust pollution, traffic congestion, and environment degradation. The chargesheet also raises the issue that the road was in use despite the objections against it.

The various lapses cited by investigators also include administrative irregularities, where the implicated government officials have been accused of carrying out tardy inspections, watering down reports, or ignoring the issue while evidence of illegality exists. Document movement and correspondence have been used to corroborate these allegations.

The police have relied on sections under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Prevention of Corruption Act, Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, Indian Forest Act, & Environmental Protection Act, under which a criminal conspiracy has been allegedly carried out that led to illegal mining.