Representative Image. (Getty Images)
CHANDIGARH: Punjab mining minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria on Saturday once again rejected the claims of illegal mining operations in Hoshiarpur district made by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Sarkaria said it was nothing but Sukhbir’s desperate attempts to gain lost political ground in the state, which would never happen. The cabinet minister claimed the mining sites visited by Sukhbir in Hoshiarpur district on Saturday were auctioned by the SAD-BJP government and not the Congress. There were several attempts by some people to continue illegal mining but the mining department acted swiftly and imposed heavy penalties, Sarkaria said.