Taking serious note of allegations of illegal mining in the Sutlej-Swan river confluence area near the Agampur Bridge in Ropar district, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Ropar, to inspect the site and submit a detailed affidavit.The court has also warned that if any illegal mining activity is found, the officers would be held personally responsible.The directions were issued by a Division Bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor while hearing a civil writ petition filed by Prem Dutt Sharma (70), a resident of Takhatgarh village in Ropar district.Sharma has sought judicial intervention to halt what he described as large-scale illegal extraction of sand, gravel, boulders and other riverbed material from the area around the Agampur-Anandpur Sahib Bridge.In the petition, Sharma alleged that extensive excavation in and around the confluence of the Sutlej and Swan rivers had caused severe environmental degradation. He claimed that the mining operations had damaged the Kawanwali Beli, an ancient natural landform that acts as a hydrological barrier between the two rivers.According to the petitioner, the excavation has altered the natural flow of the rivers and facilitated the creation of an artificial diversion of the Swan River upstream of the bridge.Sharma further contended that the alleged mining activities were being carried out without mandatory environmental clearances and permissions from authorities, including the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Central Pollution Control Board. He argued that the activities violated environmental laws and posed threat to public safety, ecology and the structural integrity of the bridge.The petitioner also highlighted the impact of mining-related transportation on local residents. He alleged that heavily loaded trucks carrying sand and gravel were using temporary earthen pathways and narrow village roads connecting nearly 40-45 villages in Punjab and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.The movement of these vehicles, he claimed, was causing inconvenience to residents, schoolchildren and commuters while generating dust, noise pollution and safety hazards.During the hearing, the High Court noted that photographs had been placed on record to support the allegations that the area’s natural ecology was being adversely affected. The bench observed that the grievance pertained to illegal mining underneath the Agampur-Anandpur Sahib Bridge.The state government was represented by Additional Advocate General Maninder Singh Garcia along with other law officers, while the Union of India was represented through Central Government counsel. Seeking time to obtain instructions, the respondents informed the court that they would examine the matter. Issuing notice of motion, the court directed the Ropar DC to inspect the area and file an affidavit. The Bench specifically stated that if any illegal mining was found during the inspection, the concerned officers would be held personally accountable.The matter has been listed for further hearing on June 8, when the court is expected to consider the district administration’s report and examine the allegations in greater detail.