Illegal mining: Dy CM gives free hand to District Level Task Force to act against violators

Jammu, Feb 27: Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, Friday directed for strict enforcement of e-Challan at crusher units, mandatory GPS tracking of all vehicles transporting mining material and implementation of the “One Parchi, One Load” rule to completely curb illegal mining across Jammu and Kashmir.
Chairing a high level meeting of the Mining Department at Jammu, the Deputy Chief Minister stressed the need for strengthening enforcement mechanisms in all districts.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Mining Department, Ashwani Kumar; Chairman, Pollution Control Committee; Director, Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing; Deputy Commissioners (Chairpersons, District Level Task Force Committees) online; Director, Geology and Mining; MD, JKML; Special Secretary, Mining Department; Senior Superintendents of Police; Director Finance, Mining; DMOs and other senior officers.
Reiterating the government’s zero-tolerance policy against illegal mining in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions, the Deputy Chief Minister issued strict instructions that no vehicle shall be allowed to transport mining material without a valid ‘Parchi’ (authorized e- challan).
“Only one load must be permitted against each Parchi and any misuse or duplication shall be invite strict action against the violator,” he said.
Making GPS tracking mandatory, the Deputy Chief Minister ordered that all vehicles involved in mining operations must have functional GPS devices installed. “Vehicles operating without GPS shall be seized immediately and stern action shall be taken against defaulters.”
Emphasizing strict adherence to approved excavation limits, the Deputy Chief Minister asserted that no excavation shall exceed the prescribed depth and mining beyond authorized riverbed zones and illegal night operations shall be dealt with firmly.
Calling for stronger inter-departmental coordination, the Deputy Chief Minister stressed that collective responsibility and joint action are essential to eliminate illegal mining and prevent attempts to defame the administration. He assured full administrative backing to enforcement agencies and gave a free hand to the District Level Task Force to act decisively against violators.
“I give DCs, who head District Task Forces and SSPs a free hand to take strict action against illegal mining offenders, including complicit officials. No external pressure will be tolerated while dealing with the offenders,” he stated.
The Deputy Chief Minister strictly directed the Mining Department to intensify monitoring mechanisms and strengthen ground-level enforcement to safeguard natural resources.
The Deputy Chief Minister directed the DCs to identify the mining blocks, environmental clearance, fair demolition of illegal units, information on mining fund utilization and compliance on ensuring complete ban on illegal mining in all Districts.
He instructed on clearance of pending power dues by the crusher units, suspension of MDLs and adopting best mining policies from other states and UTs to curb the mining operations in J&K.
During the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister undertook a detailed review of measures, including the status of mineral blocks, e-auctions, GPS tracking and IMSS implementation, enforcement actions against illegal mining, compliance of crusher units, proposed amendments in royalty and penalties, progress under DMFT, mineral exploration activities and overall regulatory position of the Department.
During the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary, stressed on maintaining tight vigil and effective action be taken to address the challenge of illegal mining in J&K.
At the outset, Director Geology and Mining Department, briefed the chair about the overall functioning and measures taken to curb illegal mining operations.