The J&K government on Friday amended the Jammu and Kashmir Minor Mineral Concession, Storage, Transportation of Minerals and Prevention of Illegal Mining Rules, 2016.
In an order issued by the General Administration Department, the government extended the deadline for bidders to complete the formalities for grant of mining lease or quarry license from six monbths to one year.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 15 read with section 23C of the Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 (Central Ad No.67 of 1957), the Government hereby direct that in sub-rule (9) of rule 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Minor Mineral Concession, Storage, Transportation of Minerals and Prevention of Illegal Mining Rules , 2016 for the words "six months", the words "one year", shall be substituted,” the GAD order said.,
Sub-rule 9 of rule 55 states: “Once a bid is provisionally accepted, Director shall issue Letter of Intent (LoI) to the concerned bidder to complete the formalities as required for the grant of Mining Lease or Quarry License under these rules within a period of six months, including deposition of remaining bid amount.”
The issue of mining has touch raw nerves in Kashmir after almost all the contracts were barred by non-locals last year. Locals could not participate in the bidding process due to the ban on high speed mobile internet.
Environmentalists have warned that rampant mining activities will disturb the ecology and accelerate the climate change in Kashmir.
In 2018, the Geology Department filed three cases involving illegal mining in Shopian. Last year, 83 such cases were filed. In the adjoining Pulwama district, the figures stand at 46 and 317 respectively. In 2019, 476 cases were registered in 10 Kashmir districts which jumped to 2067 cases last year.
“If there is a jump of 400 percent in illegal mining cases, you can imagine the actual situation on the ground,” the official of Geology department quoted above said.