*G&M Deptt doesn’t have staff to man even 3-4 check posts
Notices 50 points for transportation of material discreetly
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 17: A committee constituted by the Government to look into the violations of High Court’s directions has favoured creation of minor mineral blocks in the River Tawi bed right from Nagrota to Phallian Mandal and subsequent e-auction to bring an end to the illegal mining which is still going on even after the imposition of ban due to nexus of mafia with the Geology and Mining Department’s field staff and Police.
The Government vide Order No.15-MNG dated May 4, 2021 constituted a committee of officers for in-depth examination of alleged illegal mining activities/operations of stone crusher units in and around River Tawi in violation of the directions passed by the High Court few years back.
The committee headed by O P Bhagat, Director Geology and Mining J&K and comprising R C Kotwal, Director Finance Industries and Commerce Department, Dr Raj Kumar, Incharge Deputy Director Geology and Mining and Romesh Gandotra, Assistant Mining Engineer was directed to submit its report within a week’s time.
“No doubt the committee has failed to meet the deadline for submission of report but it has completed the ground work and has come to the conclusion that proper creation of minor mineral blocks and subsequent e-auction is the only remedy to curb the menace of illegal mining”, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
During inspection of River Tawi bed right from Nagrota up to Phallian Mandal, the committee has noticed that despite ban imposed by the High Court the mafia was indulging in extraction of minor mineral at several places and was using almost 51 entry and exist points for transportation of mineral discretely, sources further informed.
Actually these points were created by the people living along the banks of River Tawi for their as well as cattle’s smooth entry into River Tawi but mafia was using the same for illegal transportation of minor mineral in order to dodge the authorities.
“While Geology and Mining Department is expressing its inability to keep watch on these points on the ground of acute shortage of manpower, the Police was intentionally ignoring the activities of mafia through these points in order to obtain undue benefits”, sources said.
They informed that Geology and Mining Department doesn’t have sufficient manpower even to keep 3-4 check posts operational round the clock and this has acted as blessings in disguise for the mafia, which has strong network with the police personnel deployed at the ground level.
“Anyhow, neither Geology and Mining Department nor Police can shirk from their responsibility of checking the illegal mining and transportation of minor mineral from River Tawi especially in the light of the fact that High Court had issued specific directions to these two agencies in this regard”, sources further said.
As per the Minor Mineral Concession, Storage, Transportation of Minerals and Prevention of Illegal Mining Rules, the Geology and Mining Department is required to create minor minerals blocks so that mining activities can be conducted in the most transparent and organized manner.
“But this aspect has not received due attention of the Geology and Mining Department in respect of River Tawi till date for the reasons best known to those who remained at the helm of affairs”, sources said, adding “the committee has favoured creation of minor mineral blocks and subsequent e-auction in order to keep check on illegal mining”.
They further said, “the allottees of the minor mineral blocks will not allow anybody to indulge in illegal mining and in this way they will be helping the Geology and Mining Department in checking the activities of mafia”, adding “on the recommendations of the committee the Government will try to persuade the High Court for lifting ban on mining in River Tawi”.
The committee is supposed to submit its report on operation of stone crusher units in Tawi River; suggest measures to curb all malpractices with respect to mining and processing of river bed material; suggest measures for allowing regulated mining and disposal of river bed material to prevent flash flood incidents and to examine the allegations made and the representations received about the high handedness of the department.
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