A crackdown by the police and the mining department in the Anandpur Sahib subdivision of Ropar district over the past 20 days has brought the scale of suspected illegal mining and the transportation of illegally extracted material under scrutiny.The enforcement drive has resulted in the registration of five FIRs and the issuance of challans to more than 70 vehicles for overloading. The mining department has also taken action against four vehicles, imposing penalties of Rs 2.5 lakh each.Officials have intensified enforcement against vehicles suspected of carrying material beyond permissible limits, while modified tippers used to transport illegally mined material have also come under the scanner.According to figures available from the police, more than 70 vehicles have been challaned for overloading, with the minimum challan amount being Rs 20,000.The mining department, with the assistance of the police, has challaned four tippers with modified bodies, imposing a penalty of Rs 2.5 lakh on each. This is the highest penalty imposed on modified tippers in the past year, sources said.Overloading is often considered financially attractive by operators involved in transporting illegally mined material. Carrying material beyond a vehicle’s authorised capacity is a violation of the prescribed norms.The practice is allegedly followed by those involved in illegal mining because a tipper carrying material beyond its permitted capacity can generate higher revenue per trip.Illegally extracted material may be purchased at a lower cost or transported without the required permits and payments, increasing the financial incentive for those involved in the trade.However, overloaded vehicles put additional pressure on roads and bridges, besides causing revenue losses to the government in the form of unpaid GST and mining royalties.Despite the intensified drive, significant loopholes remain in the system. Reports of tippers and excavators operating without registration in the illegal mining business have raised questions about the monitoring of vehicles, machinery, mineral extraction and transportation networks.Excavators are essential to the extraction process, while tippers transport the material to construction sites and other destinations. If machinery and vehicles operate without proper registration, permits or traceable ownership records, identifying the operators, establishing accountability and tracing the supply chain become more difficult, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Sources said enforcement limited to vehicles intercepted on roads might not be sufficient. Extraction sites, loading points, stockyards and destinations continue to remain outside effective surveillance.Authorities need to verify vehicle registrations, mining permissions, mineral transit documents, authorised carrying capacities and the sources of the material being transported, sources in enforcement agencies said.The registration of five FIRs and the challaning of more than 70 overloaded vehicles within 20 days indicate intensified enforcement in the Anandpur Sahib subdivision of Ropar district, a major mining hub.The mining department’s action against four vehicles, involving penalties of Rs 2.5 lakh each, could act as a deterrent if such action is taken regularly.The latest action has brought the issue of illegal mining in Ropar district into focus. However, it remains to be seen whether the enforcement drive will be sustained.