Beas River Under Siege: Villagers Cry Foul as Illegal Mining Ravages Indora
In the Mand area of Indora Assembly constituency, the Beas River is no longer just a flowing lifeline—it has become a battlefield between villagers and the mining mafia. Despite Himachal Pradesh’s tough mining laws on paper, the ground reality tells a story of unchecked plunder, silent authorities, and a river pushed to the brink of collapse.
Midnight Plunder
Locals allege that as darkness falls, hundreds of tractors roll into the riverbed. Sand and gravel are extracted in bulk and ferried across the Punjab border to stone crushers. The scars left behind are visible—deep cuts in the riverbed, destabilised banks, and altered water flow.
Ecological Alarm Bells
Experts warn that indiscriminate sand mining weakens riverbanks, lowers groundwater levels, and threatens aquatic life. In Mand, villagers already see the damage: unnaturally deepened stretches, unstable farmland, and shifting water patterns. If unchecked, the Beas could face irreversible ecological collapse.
Law on Paper, Silence on Ground
Though regulations promise strict penalties, seizures, and arrests, villagers say enforcement is missing. Complaints to the SDM have yielded little action, and media reports have failed to spark a crackdown. Allegations of political shielding and collusion are rife, with locals openly questioning why authorities remain passive.
A River at Risk, Trust at Stake
The Beas sustains agriculture, livestock, and daily life in the region. Its degradation threatens irrigation, homes, and livelihoods. But beyond the ecological damage, each night of illegal mining erodes something deeper—public trust in governance.
The people of Indora now ask: will the state act before the Beas is lost, or will silence continue to protect those who profit from its destruction?
