e-auctioning generates record revenue
Nishikant Khajuria
Jammu, Feb 14: Even as the Government has fast tracked the process of issuing permits for extraction of minor minerals, there seems no immediate end to the prevailing crisis with regard to paucity of the construction aggregate because of required environment clearance before the consent to operate.
Official sources told the Excelsior that first phase of e-auctioning of the minor mineral blocks was completed today and 95 successful bidders have so far deposited fifty percent of the premium amount in advance, which is approximately Rs 60 crores- highest ever revenue realization through auctioning of mineral blocks.
These successful bidders are being issued the Letter of Intent by the Department of Geology & Mining within a week for the extraction, subject to Environment Clearance by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and Consent to Operate from the Pollution Control Board, sources added.
As the process of Environment Clearance from SEIAA and Consent to Operate from PCB is likely to take more than a month, Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam is learnt to have issued directions for fast tracking the exercise of environment clearance.
Sources said that instructions in this regard were issued yesterday in a high-level meeting, chaired by the Chief Secretary who desired for early Environment Clearance to the successful bidders without compromising with the established norms .
Pertinent to mention that for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir, e- auctioning of minor mineral blocks has been initiated at large scale with an objective to put in place a transparent process for allotment of mineral blocks. Moving from the practice of open-auctioning, the Department of Geology & Mining e-auctioned 173 blocks across various districts in the Union Territory of J&K and so far 95 successful bidders have deposited in advance 50 percent of the premium amount, which is approximately Rs 60 crores. This is highest ever revenue realization by the Department through auctioning of mineral blocks.
Even as the Department of Geology & Mining has almost completed its e-auctioning process on fast track basis, the issue of Environment Clearance may take some time notwithstanding the Chief Secretary’s directions and hence the paucity of minor minerals such as sand and gravels etc is likely to continue by the end of next month.
As the Department of Geology & Mining is also issuing `Short Term Permit’ in case of Government and emergent nature of works, sources said that so far around a dozen small mineral blocks of less than one hectare area have been allotted to different agencies, which are executing the Jammu Airport runway expansion, Konkan Railway and Jammu Ring Road projects.
Further, the sources added, the applications by JKPCC Ltd, SICOP and GREF for the issuance of similar `Short Term Permit’ for a specified period for extraction of minor minerals are under process.
For the grant of `Short Term Permit’, the Joint Directors shall ensure time-bound disposal of all such applications and ordinarily each such application is disposed of on merit within a period of seven days, official sources informed.
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