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| Mining operations banned across Jammu region but construction works going on | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 18: The extraction of minor minerals from most of the rivers, ravines, rivulets and nullahs across the Jammu province have been banned but construction works have been going on in full swing including at major projects, which points towards the fact that mining operations are being carried out illegally.
Sources informed Early Times that apart from permission of extraction from few rivers, the extraction of minor minerals from remaining water bodies has so far been banned. “Despite banning of the extraction of minor minerals from the rivers, the construction works in most of the districts of Jammu province have been going on at full scale with no scarcity of the construction material”, sources said, adding that if the construction material has been made available to the contractors, which meant that extraction has been going on but on papers it has been banned.
Officials in the department pleading anonymity said that due to illegal extraction of minor minerals from the rivers, rivulets, the department has been incurring losses. “If the mining leases would have been auctioned by the department, the department would have been earning good amount of revenue in the form of mining lease money from the contractors”, sources said, adding that but at present the mining operations have been banned in most of the rivers, the department has not been getting any royalty but due to on-going illegal operations, several stakeholders have been earning huge.
“How is it possible that large construction works have been going on in full scale but the mining operations are so far not permitted? It simply means that mining operations have been undergoing but illegally. Due to illegal mining operations the minor mineral material has been easily reaching to the construction sites”, sources said, adding that the government should initiate an enquiry into the entire episode.
Director Geology and Mining Vikas Sharma said that apart from few rivers, mining permission has also been given to some other agencies such as Railways and the agency involved in Circular road construction. He further said that as the department has been getting reports of illegal mining operations, they have been sending their teams to take action. “It’s a collective responsibility of District administration, Police administration as well as Mining department to stop the illegal mining operations”, Sharma said.
On the question of revenue losses, Director said that the department has already collected a good amount of revenue and in next coming days, the department would generate more revenue.
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