NEW DELHI, Apr 23
In the first four months of 2024, Himachal Pradesh saw a 38.9 per cent increase in the amount of fine collected and a 44 per cent increase in the number of challans being issued against illegal mining compared to what the state had recorded during the same period in 2023. Districts Chamba (Rs 42.39 lakh fine, 995 challans), Baddi (Rs 31.36 lakh fine, 222 challans), Nurpur (Rs 24.11 lakh fine, 257 challans) and Sirmaur (Rs 17.49 lakh fine, 316 challans) are on the top of the list from where maximum fine was recovered alongside the issuance of a huge number of challans.
Between January 1, 2024, and April 21, 2024, fine worth Rs 1.73 crore was collected from people caught engaging in illegal mining and 3,028 challans were issued. In the same period in 2023, fines worth Rs 1.23 crore were imposed and 2,099 challans were issued. This year till now, police have seized 256 vehicles involved in illegal mining while in 2023, 94 vehicles were seized in the corresponding time period. Interestingly, Lahaul and Spiti is the only district where not a single instance of illegal mining was reported. There are 12 districts in Himachal Pradesh and the state police have divided them into 14 police districts. The police districts Baddi and Nurpur are considered separate from their head districts Solan and Kangra, respectively, in the view of better policing in these areas. A police officer said, “A total of 14 FIRs were registered against different mining firms. Seven FIRs out of the 14 were forwarded to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for probing the money laundering aspects in the mining business of people whose firms were booked. We forwarded these specific cases to the ED when we found an illegal trail of Rs 11.05 crore on the part of the suspects. So far, the ED has taken cognizance of four of the FIRs out of the seven.” “The crackdown on illegal mining is aimed at preventing the illegal export of minerals and the loss of revenue to the state government,” the officer added.
Notably, the current Congress government has been under attack by the opposition BJP since it assumed power for not acting tough against illegal mining, especially in Una, Sirmour, Kangra and Nurpur districts.
In February this year, the state government had notified the Himachal Pradesh Mineral Policy-2024 by replacing the 11-year-old Mineral policy-2013. According to the new Mineral Policy-2024, the depth of the pit to extract minerals from riverbeds or streambeds was increased from 1 metre to 2 metre, machines were allowed to mine the minerals, manufacturing of M-Sand was permitted and the registration of new stone crushers were okayed near hydel or road projects.
“To curb illegal mining and boost revenue, the state government has recently approved a new mineral policy for the year 2024.
The new policy emphasises the use of scientific and mechanical techniques for extraction of mineral wealth while ensuring adequate safeguards for the preservation of environment and ecology,” Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had said on March 13.
