J&K government cancels controversial mining lease, suspends officer

Minister for Industries and Commerce Chandra Prakash Ganga read out the statement in the lower house of the Assembly

The Jammu and Kashmir government, on Saturday, cancelled a controversial mining lease order to a non-state subject and ordered suspension of a top official of Geology and Mining Department following an uproar in the Assembly over the issue.

"The orders of May 12, 2016 of Director, Geology and Mining has been cancelled with immediate effect. This has been done only for the purpose of satisfaction of the House and in keeping with the motto of the coalition government of honesty, integrity, public probity and transparency," Minister for Industries and Commerce Chandra Prakash Ganga told the Assembly.

The minister read out a statement in the Lower House the day after Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta ordered an enquiry to ascertain how the mining lease was issued to Mohinder Pal Singh, a resident of Chandigarh, by the department concerned when the High Court had stayed granting of mining leases while the House Committee was examining SRO 105.

Many MLAs cutting across party lines protested on Saturday, against the issuance of the lease in the House.

The minister said the government has ordered suspension of the Director, Geology and Mining Department.

"The officer has been suspended to allow a free and fair enquiry into the matter," Ganga said, adding that strict action would be taken against officials and "whosoever found responsible, will not be spared".