New Delhi:
Rithat in Haryana's Mewat district is the latest target of illegal miners where quarrying is still on for quartz stone that's used for construction work.
Mining in the Aravallis in Haryana is illegal as per a Supreme Court order, but with each truckload of quartz selling for over Rs 9000, illegal miners feel it's worth the risk.
And they seem to have found a way of getting past the check posts. The trucks carrying these materials usually have no number plates. So, if the vehicle is stopped at a check post, there will be no record of the real owner.
"The demand has increased because of the boom in the construction work and due to the Commonwealth Games," said Ramesh Arya, Bandhua Mukti Morcha.
Every day these trucks make dozens of trips from these hills. While this has meant steady profits for illegal miners, it has come at the expense of the environment.