Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 20: The Minister for Industries and Commerce, S. S. Slathia today said that personnel of the listed mineral lease holders will be imparted short duration managerial trainings to promote scientific based mineral exploration and production in the State.
Interacting with mineral lease holders from Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions at a meeting held at Udhyog Bhawan, here, Mr. Slathia asked the Director, Geology and Mining, Farooq Ahmed Khan to device ways and means for conducting training programmes for the lease holders to facilitate mining exploration under the supervision of qualified and competent managerial staff.
Saying that the State is bestowed with huge reserves of mineral wealth, Mr. Slathia said that the Government would provide all possible facilities and logical support to lease holders to improve mineral production and exploration and asked the Commissioner/Secretary Industries and Commerce, Shantmanu to explore all the possibilities for giving industrial status to the mineral exploration activities.
He enjoined upon the lease holders to conduct mining operations in accordance with the mining plans as provided under the Mines and Minerals (development and regulation) Act, 1957.
He also stressed for taking all precautions to protect the environment and control pollution due to prospecting, mining or metallurgical operations.
Mr. Slathia asked the lease holders to clear their outstandings on account of royalty by ending December this year positively and warned any default in this regard would result in cancellation of their lease deed.
He said revenue realization is imperative for undertaking developmental and social welfare activities, adding that there cannot be any kind of compromise on safe guarding state’s revenue interests.
The meeting also took stock of the problems confronting the lease holders who demanded to bring the mining activity under industry, besides formulation of a futuristic and broad based mineral policy in the State.
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