Under attack over the unabated illegal mining in Punjab, the Congress-led State Government is considering to take the mining business in its own hands while setting up a corporation to manage the sand trading.
The idea was seriously mulled over by the three-member Cabinet sub-committee on illegal mining, comprising Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Badal and Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, during its meetings.
A senior government official maintained that the panel was backing the idea of setting up a government-run Corporation to regulate supply and demand of sand and gravel in the state.
The move is expected to not only control the spiraling sand prices but also in checking the illegal activities including the black-marketing.
With this, the sand mining mafia is also expected to be affected as the government proposed to do engage in the wholesale trading of minerals with retailers across the state.
A similar proposal was also floated in 2014 by the previous SAD-BJP regime. The Cabinet had approved the proposal to excavate and sell minor minerals through the state-owned departments by eliminating the role of private mining contractors in a bid to check rising prices by amending the Punjab Minor Mineral Rules, 2013.
The amendments in the minor mining rules were aimed at benefitting the people as the role of private contractors will be eliminated and the state government (through its own departments) will sell sand and gravel bringing down its prices.
As of now, the government was auctioning the quarries or mines to private people who were blamed for selling sand and gravel at “very higher” prices.
At the same time, the Local Government Minister Navjot Sidhu, who is heading the three-member panel, minced his words while saying that leaders from all political parties are involved in the sand mining trade.
Reiterating that the illegal mining would be stopped in the state, Sidhu said that the Committee is expected to submit the report on April 21 and anyone, irrespective of party or position, would be named if found guilty.
Sidhu also maintained that GPRS systems would be installed in the tippers to check the illegal mining. Indications are that the government may also impose entry tax on trucks entering Punjab from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
“The states with good mining policy will be visited and after taking into account all the valuable inputs, the new mining policy would be prepared,” said Sidhu who will be leading a team of officers to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to have a first-hand information about their successful mining model.
The committee officers would visit the two states from April 11 to 13 and the meetings will be held with the mining officials of both the states besides having an in-depth study of their system so as to incorporate the positives in the proposed mining policy of Punjab.
Sidhu, on Monday, had met the concerned officials in the Central Government to amass valuable inputs while formulating an “all-encompassing Mining policy” for Punjab.