CHANDIGARH: Haryana Government has planned to lease out stone and sand mines or blocks in the state that have been suspended or cancelled and those which have no appeal pending against them. While the public will get the construction material at reasonable prices by this move, it will also curtail the illegal mining activities. Besides this, it is also going to lend a hand in pulling up the contractors and leaseholders who have not cleared the lease money for years.
Mines and Geology Minister, Mr. Mool Chand Sharma gave these directions to senior officers of the Department during a review meeting convened here today. Elaborating on it the Minister said that the payment of dues from the leaseholders should be ensured and asked the officers to chalk out a plan so as to recover the Department’s money and to fix responsibility in this regard.
Mool Chand Sharma focused on streamlining the functioning of the Department in the meeting. Thereafter he directed to expedite the recruitment process of employees in the Department and suggested to appoint contractual employees until permanent recruitment is done so that the work of the Department is not affected.
During the meeting, Minister of Mines and Geology took a stock of the mining blocks which have been leased out or have been given on contract from November 2019 till now and the status of the mines opened during this time. Furthermore, several important issues including, contracts and leases granted through auctions, lease granted through applications, stone crushers, mineral dealer licenses, short-term permits, illegal mining cases and vehicles seized during this time frame were discussed.
During this meeting, the Minister was made aware that during the current tenure of the State Government, the Department has received revenue of about Rs 574 crore from mining activities. At the same time, revenue of Rs 254 crore has been received so far this year. Apart from this, a revenue of about Rs 54 crore has also been generated from ‘e-Ravana’ system.
Several senior officers of the Department were also present in the meeting, including Principal Secretary Mines & Geology Department, Mr. Anand Mohan Sharan and Director General Mines and Geology, Mr. Amitabh Singh Dhillon.