‘State sidestepping SC orders on mine leases’

Gandhinagar: The Congress has alleged that instead of controlling illegal mining in the state, the BJP government is trying bypass Supreme Court orders for e-auctions of minerals by extending leases that were lapsing to 2035.
Senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar, speaking on mines minister Saurabh Patel’s statement under Rule 44, said, “The state government, instead of controlling illegal mining and damage to the ecology of the state, is trying to promote illegal mining by bypassing the Supreme Court order on transparent e-auctions and controlling illegal mining. To evade e-auctions, the Gujarat government has decided to extend leases ending in 2020, 2022 and 2025 up to 2030 and 2035, which must not be done.”

Saurabh Patel said, “The state government has made all the necessary changes and adopted e-auctions of minerals according to the SC order. To protect the interests of private landowners, it was decided to extend lease periods up to 2030 and 2035.”