Solan | November 16, 2016:

With no Mining Officer having been posted in Solan for the last two months, illegal mining mafia was having a field day.

As many as nine Mining Officers (MOs) had been transferred in October from across the state. This also included the official at Solan. The incumbent transferred here has failed to join and the post has been lying vacant since then.

The absence of officers has severally hit the campaign of the district administration to block 37 identified roads where forest land and PWD roads provide access to the vehicles carrying illegally mined material. A majority of such paths had again become operational after being closed initially, confide sources.

Since the district earned the highest revenue of about Rs 80 crore to the state annually, the absence of a key officer was impairing various revenue generation activities like issues pertaining to assessment and royalty and imposing penalties on illegal mining.

As a belated move the state government has now given its charge to a Mining Inspector but given the significance of this district in terms of revenue generation a permanent MO should be placed here.

Significantly, even the crucial assessment of muck and stone used by the private construction company, GR Infra, executing the four-laning of the National Highway-22 has not been carried out after May. This assessment would have helped evaluate the royalty which the company is supposed to pay in lieu of using the naturally occurring minerals. The company had earlier paid Rs 1.80 crore as royalty which pertained to the period till May.

The absence of an MO has also put on hold grant of mining lease to the nine cases which involved land less than five hectares as the crucial meeting of the District Level Environment Impact Assessment committee could not take place. An MO is a crucial part of this meeting. These cases were awaiting approvals since June as they had been referred to the district level committee by the state committees following directions of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Mukesh Agnihotri, Minister Industries, when quizzed, said since a number of MOs had been promoted as Geologists they have been given other responsibilities and an MO level officer would soon be placed at Solan. He said the charge, meanwhile, has been handed over to a Mining Inspector.

(Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/)