Whistleblowers allege mining mafia tipped off by insiders before enforcement drives
From Buffliaz to Betar, heavy machinery rips riverbeds as police and Mining Department accused of collusion
JJ Toseef R Ganai
Poonch, August 15 — In Poonch, Surankote, and Buffliaz, the robbery of nature is no longer hidden it’s a daily, shameless spectacle. From dawn to dusk, massive excavators rip apart riverbeds while overloaded dumpers roar past police checkpoints. This isn’t petty theft; it’s organized plunder, thriving under the very noses of the departments meant to prevent it.
In Buffliaz and Sathra the brazenness is unmatched the illegal mining site is barely 500 meters from a police chowkis, yet nothing stops. When criminal activity happens within sight of law enforcement and still goes unchecked, it’s not negligence it’s collusion.
Illegal Mining Peaks After Fresh Floods, After the recent flood-like situation caused by heavy monsoon rainfall, illegal mining has reached dangerous new heights. The swollen rivers and loosened soil have made extraction easier and the mafia is exploiting it without restraint.
From Buffliaz to Chandimarh, Kalai to Mandi, and Poonch town to Betar Nallah, the story is the same — heavy machines digging deep, dumpers and tractors moving freely, and no trace of enforcement on the ground.
Environmentalists warn this post-flood plunder is dismantling the natural safeguards that protect villages from future disasters. Yet, the authorities responsible for stopping it are missing in action.
DMO Missing in Poonch, Missing in Duty, If there is one name that draws public fury in this crisis, it is the District Mineral Officer (DMO). Residents say the DMO is physically missing from Poonch for days on end while the district’s rivers are being looted bare.
His office, meant to be the first line of defence against illegal mining, is now seen as a symbol of administrative collapse. Locals allege the DMO appears only for selective “show raids” targeting a few poor tractor owners to make headlines and disappears when it comes to acting against the real culprits.
Whistleblowers within the administration claim that before any official crackdown begins, certain individuals inside the concerned department tip off the mafia, warning them of upcoming enforcement drives. As a result, large dumpers vanish from sites and only small-time operators get caught, allowing the real masterminds to continue their business unhindered.
Under the Jammu & Kashmir Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2016, the DMO has the authority to seize machinery, confiscate vehicles, impose penalties, and shut down illegal crushers. Yet, how many mafia-owned crushers have been sealed? How many high-capacity dumpers impounded? The answer, according to locals, is zero.
“If the DMO cannot be found when our rivers are being destroyed, is he really an officer or just a paid spectator for the mining mafia?” asks Ghulam Nabi, a Poonch resident.
Mining Department & Police – Partners in Plunder, Civil society activists and retired officials say the scale of illegal mining proves there is a three-way understanding between the mafia, the police, and the Mining Department. The pattern is too obvious:
Police turn a blind eye at checkpoints. Mining officials are absent where the big players operate. Politicians shield the operators from higher scrutiny.
When the very people entrusted with protecting natural resources vanish from duty, the message to the mafia is clear loot as much as you want, no one will stop you.
Experts warn that unregulated post-flood mining is lowering riverbeds to dangerous depths, weakening bridges, eroding farmland, and destroying aquatic ecosystems. Groundwater reserves are depleting fast, threatening the future water security of the region.
“This is not just negligence — it’s active destruction by omission,” says a retired geologist. “And the officers who are missing today will be the first to give speeches when disaster strikes tomorrow.”
Public Demands Accountability Now, Outraged residents and activists are demanding, Immediate suspension of the DMO and mining inspectors for dereliction of duty. Deployment of outside police forces for independent enforcement.
A high-level probe into why the DMO has been absent during peak illegal mining activity and Seizure of all mafia-owned machinery without delay.
Until such action is taken, Buffliaz, Surankote, and Poonch will remain open goldmines for the mafia and graveyards for environmental law.
A missing DMO, silent police, and an unchecked mafia are a recipe for environmental disaster. In Poonch today, the public is no longer asking if there’s a nexus they’re asking how deep it runs.
