Story perspectives

Punjab Mines Raids Seize Gravel, Sand, Arrest One Miner

By Drooid · Oct 18, 2026, 10:18 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Punjab Mines Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal announced four raids that seized equipment, vehicles and led to one arrest.
Officials seized a machine and a tipper with 400 CFT gravel in Pathankot’s Jaswan village.
Kapurthala’s Khijarpur squad seized six tippers, a Poklain machine and a tractor, two tippers holding ~800 CFT sand each.
Activists say youths are paid Rs 500 to alert miners and night-time excavations hide operations.

History

Historical Context

India’s 1994 National Mineral Policy, announced by Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, lifted royalty rates from 2 % to 5 % and cut illegal sand pits by about 30 % in two years. That same year Britain issued Minerals Planning Guidance 6 on aggregates, part of a broader 1990s push for stricter mineral oversight. Punjab minister Barinder Kumar Goyal’s recent raids echo these historic reforms.

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Story summary

Punjab Mines Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal announced four raids that seized equipment, vehicles and led to one arrest.
Officials seized a machine and a tipper with 400 CFT gravel in Pathankot’s Jaswan village.
Kapurthala’s Khijarpur squad seized six tippers, a Poklain machine and a tractor, two tippers holding ~800 CFT sand each.
Activists say youths are paid Rs 500 to alert miners and night-time excavations hide operations.

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