Islamabad [Pakistan], March 20 (ANI): Illegal mining has been going on for a while in Swabi but the district Mining Department authorities seem least interested in taking action against the influential people involved, said sources as cited by The News International.

The contractor, who had secured the lease, had neglected to pay the government the required sum, resulting in the cancellation of the agreement. As a result, no one was in possession of the mining contract, and the district administration was anticipating announcing a new lease.

According to locals, cited by The News International, in the Saleem Khan Khwar area, the contractor regularly takes sand and gravel from the region without any fear.

According to local resident Qamar Zaman, the excavator and tractor-trolley are collecting sand and gravel from the Saleem Khan Khwar area as the contractor's personnel continue to charge the locals according to previous practices.

Similarly to this, individuals were illegally taking away sand and gravel from Maneri and other regions while also paying off influential individuals.

It was discovered that the officials who were tasked with stopping illegal mining instead grabbed their cut and pretended to be spectators, inflicting a significant loss to the provincial exchequer and the residents of the district.

A senior member of the district Mineral Department, when contacted by The News International, responded that he would visit the scene to assess the problem and would take appropriate measures, adding that no one was permitted to remove sand and gravel from any location inside the district.

Yet, he also claimed that there wasn't enough staff to keep an eye on unlawful mining throughout the district and that whenever residents complained, they had responded by taking action.

When contacted, Swabi Deputy Commissioner Furqan Ashraf promised to check into the situation and issue orders to those responsible for unlawful mining, The News International reported. (ANI)