Dehradun | Jan 27, 2015: Chief minister Harish Rawat on Tuesday announced that the state government will formulated its policy on mining modeled on the Center's upcoming policy on it.
"We are committed to make our quarrying policy based on Union government's upcoming policy on the same. The question of formulating policy on the issue prior to that does not arise," said Rawat.
Talking to reporters after honouring the participants from the state in the Republic Day held in New Delhi, on Tuesday, Rawat said that although the state government had planned to formulate its own policy on it has been put it on hold after he came to know about Center's move to come out with a new policy on quarrying.
He said the way the Union government has decided to formulate a new policy on quarrying it seems to have realized the needs for urgency of raw building material to carry out development projects too.
"There seems to be a consensus among our government and the Center on preventing illegal mining from rivers to help conserve environment and ecology. But to impose a blanket ban on all sorts of quarrying including legal ones is just not feasible," said minister for finance Indira Hirdesh.
Rawat said his government has been keenly waiting for the new policy on quarrying and will not go beyond Center's guidelines while making its own policy.
BJP state leadership has welcomed Rawat's decision on this. "It is really a good move on the front of quarrying and will help the Center and the state government on the subject," said leader of opposition Ajay Bhatt.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)