In this edition of Newstrack, the focus is on India Today's special investigation that exposed rampant illegal mining along the Kosi river in Uttarakhand’s Udham Singh Nagar district.
00:00Good evening, you're watching NewsTrack with me, Maria Shaquille.
00:03While much attention has been focused on the Ravalis and the mining crisis in that region,
00:08a similar threat is quietly unraveling in other parts of India.
00:13I'm talking about the exploitation of our rivers.
00:17One such river is the Kosi River in Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar.
00:22And that has been under siege by sand mafias and alarmingly by the government itself.
00:30Illegal mining activities are wreaking havoc on its fragile ecosystem.
00:36India Today's investigation has uncovered how mining gangs are operating with unchecked impunity,
00:43stripping the riverbed with tractors and trucks in broad daylight.
00:48All this despite existing government regulations and environmental clearances designed to protect the river.
00:57Local authorities along with the companies involved continue to turn a blind eye,
01:02all while falsely claiming that their actions are legal, hiding the truth from the public.
01:08The Kosi River, which serves as a vital lifeline for surrounding villages and ecosystems,
01:15is being plundered and how?
01:17The Kosi River's silent cry.
01:23Dirty dealings along riverbeds.
01:27Rivers ravaged, laws ignored.
01:30But we at India Today won't let this lifeline suffer.
01:44In a daring investigation, India Today's reporter has uncovered the chilling truth behind the thriving sand mafia,
01:54right under the nose of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's administration.
01:59This is no ordinary mining operation, ladies and gentlemen, but a mafia-run treasure trove of illegal loot.
02:08As India Today's secret cameras roll, the dark nexus between corrupt officials and the mafia is revealed.
02:15Take a look.
02:16Dozens of tractors, dozens of dumpers, hundreds of workers.
02:41This is a treasure trove of loot.
02:44There is no rule of law here.
02:49No governance by the state.
02:52Here, the words of the mafia is the law.
02:55The government is just a puppet and the mafia runs the show.
03:00Speaking out against this money-printing mafia means inviting certain death.
03:06India Today's undercover reporter reached Uddham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand.
03:16Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has been the MLA from the Khatima constituency for 10 years.
03:22But India Today's secret camera captured the dark truth of the mining mafia in his bastion.
03:34Under the nose of the police and administration, a company named Kailash Riverbed Minerals was openly engaged in illegal mining in the Kosi River.
03:44This is the same company that holds the mining lease and has the contract for monitoring mining activities, meaning the entire illegal mining operation was already being facilitated by the government.
04:01This was all caught in India Today's sting operation.
04:08Disregarding rules and laws, the mining mafia is playing a destructive game with the Kosi River, while the local administration turns a blind eye.
04:18The government doesn't notice overloaded dumpers.
04:23As soon as India Today's team arrived at the mining site, a chilling reality was captured on camera.
04:31The mining mafia had already gotten wind of our presence.
04:35They surrounded us, took pictures of our undercover reporter and our vehicle and started interrogating us.
04:48The mining mafia was captured on camera.
05:18cameraman Emanuel were pressured by the goons. Anything could have happened to us. But as
05:26soon as the mining mafias realised that the team investigating them was from India today,
05:32their attitude softened. Otherwise, things could have turned dangerous.
05:39The unchecked exploitation of rivers through illegal sand mining has become a pressing
05:51environmental crisis with disastrous consequences for ecology and the communities alike. Despite
05:59repeated orders from the courts, the mining mafia continues to operate with impunity, causing
06:06rivers to dry up and lose their natural vitality. Our investigation exposes the scale of the
06:13destruction and raises critical questions about accountability and absence of enforcement.
06:20Here's that report.
06:36India today's cameras have captured many mining mafias who are flouting the laws and wreaking
06:44havoc on the Kosi River in the Uddham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand's Baspur Tahsil.
06:51But before we delve deeper, let's understand why illegal mining is so dangerous.
06:58Most rivers in North and Central India are becoming shallow due to unregulated sand mining.
07:07This leads to frequent flooding as a result of erosion from the river banks. Additionally,
07:14the reduced aquatic life in these rivers causes lower oxygen levels in the water, leading to a foul smell.
07:21Over the last decade or so, around 3,000 smaller rivers have disappeared.
07:30Now, India today is raising the biggest alarm over the exploitation of our rivers.
07:44And our first investigation starts in Uttarakhand, in the Baspur Tahsil of Uddham Singh Nagar.
07:54Believe it or not, illegal mining is happening under the noses of the government and administration
08:00in this area. Illegal mining is taking place right in the riverbed, where tractors are used
08:09to extract sand. Overloaded trucks are ferrying sand from the Kosi River.
08:19When India Today's reporter Nitin Jain started filming this illegal activity, it did not take
08:25long for the mining mafias to get wind of it.
08:30Soon, contractors reached the site.
08:33And, interestingly, many of them arrived in vehicles without license plates.
08:45The chaos intensified after everyone got to know about India Today's investigation.
08:52In the Kosi River's Kailash riverbed, the mining in charge, or contractor, Teja, showed up at the site.
08:59Despite our camera rolling, overloaded trucks continued moving in and out of the riverbed.
09:08As soon as Teja was approached by a reporter, the conversation began.
09:13The улиx has a problem.
09:25How do you know what the rules and regulations have been told?
09:26The new bikes have been installed.
09:31How are you going to be able to get the driver's to this side?
09:36I've seen the car going out, I've been able to pull out the cars.
09:40foreign
10:10Teja had no documents on site, and no justification for the illegal sand mining happening right under his nose.
10:32The law prohibits excavating rivers deeper than three meters or obstructing their natural flow.
10:39But no one follows the law for the sake of greed.
10:43Sand helps keep the river clean and preserves the local groundwater.
10:48The National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court have repeatedly ordered action against illegal mining.
10:55Last year, Andhra Pradesh was fined 100 crore for failing to stop illegal sand mining.
11:02But illegal mining continues unchecked.
11:05It seems like the law is completely disregarded by mining mafias.
11:11When Ajitak's team reached the Kosi River in the Baspur Tahsil of Uddhamsingh Nagar,
11:17mining mafias tried to intimidate our reporter Nitin Jain.
11:22They tried to silence us, claiming everything was fine in the area.
11:27It was a 곡 of iron mining.
11:29The government has been keeping� the rubus, and all the people in the area are working on the rocks.
11:34Here, whoever has a tractor or truck or dumper, nobody hasn't running there.
11:38Everything is running, everything is running through.
11:39Do the rules and regulations and regulations?
11:41People say the rules and regulations, but what I do not know about rules and regulations,
11:45foreign
11:55foreign
11:59foreign
12:05foreign
12:13foreign
12:15there should be a
12:45efforts to preserve rivers, illegal mining continues unchecked.
12:50In the Kosi River in Uttarakhand's Uddhamsingh Nagar, illegal mining is carried out by tractors
12:56that are even more dangerous than JCB machines.
13:01Our team visited another mining site along the river and found the same illegal activity.
13:07Overloaded trucks full of sand.
13:11Being questioned, the mining site in charge admitted that the trucks were overloaded.
13:41A report by Nitin Jain and Aamir Khan, for India Today's
14:11special investigative team.
14:12While this is happening in Uttarakhand, the hope is still alive for the Ravalis.
14:22The public outrage has yielded results.
14:26The Supreme Court has stepped in, pressing pause on the centre's revised definition and ordering
14:32a fresh review in the case.
14:34So, what does this stay mean for India's oldest mountain range?
14:38And is this relief temporary or lasting?
14:41Here's that report.
14:43Save the Ravalis, save the Greens, save the nation.
14:55The anger on the streets was loud.
14:58The message unmistakable.
14:59Public outrage erupted after revised definition of the Ravalis range left to vast stretches
15:10of these ancient hills sensitive to regulated mining.
15:14Leading the charge, Gen Z young voices fight to protect one of the world's oldest natural
15:20shields.
15:21At this time, the pressure worked.
15:23The Supreme Court has put its own order on hold, staying the centre's definition of
15:28the Aravli hill range.
15:30The top court initiated Suomoto proceedings, admitting that critical clarifications are needed.
15:36A new expert committee will be formed to re-examine the definition, replacing the earlier panel,
15:42which the court itself noted was dominated by bureaucrats.
15:45And the top court's recent ruling has been met with a positive response.
15:52What did the Supreme Court say today?
15:53The Supreme Court said that we will not change the language until now.
15:56We will not change the language.
15:57There will be more legislation, experience, there will be more thoughts.
16:01And we believe that the Aravli, Paryawaran, is a very substantial issue.
16:07The Supreme Court has filed a letter on hold, and the Supreme Court has filed a letter on hold.
16:18Definitely, I mean, judicial intervention is a very, you know, right time.
16:24And considering that the court is opening four days after four days, and it is taken in
16:28the court, so it's obviously well-meaning and much needed.
16:34The relief comes after fierce criticism of the centre's 100-metre rule, a definition
16:40that would have opened the doors to legal mining in nearly 90% of the Aravlis.
16:45While the government announced a ban on new mining leases, concerns refused to die down.
16:51Now, with the Supreme Court pressing pause, many see this as a victory for reason and resistance.
16:58But for how long the Aravlis remain protected?
17:01That question still hangs in the air.
17:05Bureau Report, India Today.
17:07Will the government now ensure that all those responsible are punished, action taken, and accountability
17:17sought?
17:18Because that's the only way our ecology can be protected.
17:23And we hold it certainly for the present and our future.
17:28That's all from me.
17:29We are putting out all those special reports on our website and also on the YouTube channel.
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