Chandigarh, April 30 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Survey of India (SOI) to complete a study of the Ravi and Sutlej rivers in Punjab along the international border with Pakistan to ascertain illegal mining areas and submit a report within three weeks. "The Survey of India is directed to ensure completion of the said works within a period of three weeks, during which time the report shall be made available to the state of Punjab. The state of Punjab, in turn, is directed to take appropriate corrective as well as punitive action against the erring officers and employees who were responsible for the unlawful excavation," the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry ordered while posting the matter for hearing on May 18. The Survey of India was roped in last year during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting the menace of illegal mining in Punjab. The decision came after the army and the BSF, in their reports to the high court, had termed it a threat to national security. In its report, the BSF had said that besides posing a huge threat to ecology, mining is also posing a threat to the security of the international border. "The illegal mining has been a facilitating factor towards the nexus between drug smugglers, terrorists and anti-national elements, operating in the hinterland, nurtured and controlled by Pakistani spy agency ISI," it had stated. In August 2022, the high court had restrained the state government from allowing mining along the Ravi River in Pathankot and Gurdaspur near the Pakistan border. In the latest affidavit, the SOI had sought an extension timeline for completion of survey work by 6-9 months with riders that it would depend on weather conditions, necessary permissions, and timely data submission from the Punjab mining department. It also flagged that it is yet to get complete details of legally allocated mining sites along the Sutlej and Ravi rivers from Punjab. According to the report on the Ravi River, the total river length under consideration is approximately 162 km. As the river flows along the international boundary, 5 km on India side of the river is only considered for the survey; the total survey area is estimated to be approximately 810 square km. The report further said that as of the Sutlej river, the total river length in Punjab covered under the exercise is approximately 294 km. The survey will be done of 5 km on either side of the river, resulting in a total survey corridor of 10 km. So far, drone flying has been completed for about 1,247 square km of area. The report said the survey work was conducted in three villages, Chak Hari Rai, Gol and Kot Bhatian in Pathankot on the Ravi river bank and inland areas on a total of 12.51 sq km, where mining outside legally allotted sites were found at 18 locations....