Haryana to have special flying squad to check illegal mining

CHANDIGARH: 'Flying Squad' will be formed on the lines of 'Home Minister Flying Squad' in Haryana which will inspect the illegal mining in the state with the help of local police.
Haryana minister of mines and geology minister, Mool Chand Sharma directed the senior officers present during the review meeting of the department to explore the possibilities of formation of this flying squad. The 'Mining Minister Flying Squad' will consist of one officer each from mines and geology, regulatory wing of transport department and police department.
Mool Chand Sharma said that without any permission, the mineral and mineral debris have been lying in many places on Government Land outside the mining area for 10 years in the state. Its stock is a serious issue for the environment. Such illegal stock should be identified and seized and auctioned. Apart from this, he directed the officials that the possibility of bringing the stone coming from Delhi to Haryana should be investigated legally.
He said that despite no permission of mining along Yamuna, some people have stocked in the area, it should be examined from where the sand is being brought and sold there. Apart from this, many vehicles have E-Ravana which is valid for districts like Yamunanagar and Karnal, but those vehicles supply in districts like Palwal and Faridabad. He directed the officials that attention should be paid to such issues while issuing e-Ravana.
The minister of mines and geology instructed the officials that the process of getting permission of soil excavation in districts like Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar should also be streamlined. He said that since it would take time to get the environmental clearance (EC) of all the mining blocks. The sand mines in Faridabad and the mountain blocks at Charkhi Dadri could be auctioned for which the bidders and contractors would have to take EC. The State government has been deciding to take EC before auctioning the remaining mines and this process will be adopted if there would be no legal issue.
In the meeting, the issue of dumping of minerals at Uttar Pradesh border after excavation in Haryana was also discussed and a survey was suggested to be conducted by Survey Department of India for demarcation between the two states. During this time, it was informed that Ground Truthing exercise is being done by Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC) after initial identification of 51 out of 58 mining blocks in the state. An app has also been launched by HARSAC to provide information about mines of the Department. It was also informed in the meeting that 2541 vehicles have been impounded by the department till the end of September, out of which 1948 vehicles have been released. The Department has earned Rs 55.71 crore as penalty from them. Despite of lockdown amid Covid-19 pandemic, the Department has so far received Rs 5 core more revenue as compared to the previous year.
Principal secretary, mines and geology department, Anand Mohan Sharan, director general of the department, Amitabh Singh Dhillon and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.