Ludhiana: A tense standoff has developed in Khaira Bet as farmers and villagers established a “Pukka Morcha” (permanent protest front), accusing the government of masking large-scale illegal mining as routine river desilting.While district officials maintain the work is a legally sanctioned flood-mitigation project following the devastating 2025 floods, protesters have vowed to block all heavy machinery, claiming the operation is a “looting of natural resources.” The Ludhiana district administration issued a detailed statement Saturday, asserting that the site is a sanctioned “desilting complex” essential for protecting local settlements.The 2025 floods deposited heavy silt layers along the river embankments (bandhs), threatening nearby agriculture and residential areas. The project involves digging trenches to divert water flow and using excavated river material to strengthen the embankments through new boulder stone works and revetments.Officials confirmed the work was approved by the Water Resources Department (WRD) and a Technical Advisory Committee, with contracts awarded through an official e-procurement tender. Despite the govt’s paperwork, protesters led by local farmers’ organizations remain unconvinced. They argue that the use of heavy machinery — which is officially permitted for the time-bound project—is being exploited to remove sand and silt for commercial gain.“They can call it desilting or anything they like, but we have firmly resolved that we will not let our village be destroyed,” said Advocate Ravinderpal Singh, a leading voice of the protest. He alleged that while the government presents it as a routine matter, the value of the material being extracted runs into “hundreds of crores” of rupees.Jatinder Pal Singh, a landowner and former president of the Jagraon Municipal Council, alleged that the administration has “manipulated” internal formalities to justify the extraction under the guise of flood safety.
