UP asks DMs to crackdown on illegal mining

Uttar Pradesh government today issued directives to the respective zonal commissioners and district magistrates for cracking down on illegal mining activities.

The directives were issued by UP principal secretary mining Jiwesh Nandan in the backdrop of rampant illegal mining grabbing headlines following the suspension of Gautam Budh Nagar sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Durga Shakti Nagpal recently.

Nandan has directed for reactivating and reenergising the district level committees for checking illegal mining and transport of minerals. These committees comprise the district magistrate, superintendent of police, SDM and local mines officer.

Nagpal, 28, was suspended late on Saturday (intervening night of July 27 and 28) for allegedly demolishing a wall at a place of worship, which the government apprehended could have caused communal tension.

However, it is widely believed that Nagpal was punished for taking on the powerful lobby of illegal sand mining rampant along the Yamuna and Hindon rivers in the district.

During 2012-13, the mining department had conducted raids in 9,708 cases of illegal mining and collected about Rs 32 crore in penalties. During April-July 2013-14, the department has so far conducted 2,767 raids so far and realised Rs 7.73 crore in penalties.



'The number of raids has increased this year compared to the corresponding period last year,' UP geology and mining director Bhaskar Upadhyay told Business Standard.

A former bureaucrat posted in the mining department blamed the system of 'centralising' the issuance of mining leases. Under the law, the district magistrate has the power to issue lease permits, however in 2005, a state directive mandated vetting of lease permits above the value of Rs 5 lakh by the government.

This system, was however, discontinued in 2011-12, an official source informed.

In July 2012, the state government had introduced e-tendering for future allotment of mining leases in the state. However, the matter was challenged in the court, wherein small lessees contested that it could throw them out of business and big players would grab all future leases.

Currently, the government is in the process of amending e-tendering provisions under the light of the court directives.

The state mining department has proposed to raise its own force to deal with illegal mining, just like transport and excise department have their personnel for such tasks and do not depend upon police.

The proposal had already been submitted to the state government.

UP has about 4,000 mines of coal, silica, bauxite and granite – mostly in the Bundelkhand region – and private miners are allowed to extract minerals for royalties.