Panchkula: All mining activities in Panchkula district will remain suspended during the monsoon season from July 1 to Sept 15, with the administration directing officials to step up enforcement against illegal mining during the ban period.Chairing a meeting of the district-level task force committee at the mini secretariat Tuesday, deputy commissioner Satpal Sharma instructed the mining and police departments to intensify surveillance at vulnerable locations, increase checkpoints and deploy personnel round the clock to curb illegal extraction.The DC directed officials to conduct regular surprise inspections in identified mining sensitive areas under the Kalka and Panchkula subdivisions. He also asked the mining department to ensure that operations in the district’s six allocated mining blocks — Charania, Kot, Shyamtu-1, Naggal, Shyamtu-2 and Karanpur — strictly adhere to govt norms once mining resumes after the ban period.District mining officer Anil Kumar informed the committee that 112 vehicles involved in illegal mining have been seized since April 2026, while penalties worth Rs 56.8 lakh have been recovered and 40 FIRs registered. In a separate drive against vehicles operating without valid interstate transit passes, authorities seized 108 vehicles since Aug 2025 and recovered penalties of Rs 24.6 lakh.
