Zero tolerance for illegal mining: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar:Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired a high-level review meeting of the Mining Department at the Civil Secretariat, focusing on modernisation efforts, regulatory reforms, and ongoing initiatives in mineral management and surveillance.The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Chief Secretary AtalDulloo, Additional Chief Secretaries Dheeraj Gupta and Anil Kumar, Director Geology & Mining, Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police, and other senior officials.A key highlight was the presentation and live demonstration of the Integrated Mining Surveillance System (IMSS),a digital platform developed with BISAG to enable real-time monitoring of mining activities via dashboards integrated with e-Challan and e-Market systems. The IMSS incorporates vehicle tracking, GPS monitoring, PoS-linked e-challaning, and on-the-spot enforcement to curb illegal mining. So far, 243 triggers for field verification have been generated.Appreciating the initiative, the Chief Minister directed further integration of existing departmental portals with IMSS and recommended adding a citizen complaint feature linked to satellite imagery and other evidence to boost public participation and grievance redressal.Omar Abdullah emphasized categorizing active and inactive mineral vendors and establishing a dedicated monitoring cell at the Directorate level for continuous data tracking and oversight.The meeting also reviewed reforms under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) 2025-26, including the shift to auction-based mineral block allocation, mine closure and rehabilitation provisions, and enhanced survey and mapping techniques. The operationalization of the District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) framework was highlighted as a means to channel mining revenues into local development.Discussions included revising royalty fee structures and penal provisions to better reflect market conditions and improve compliance. The department has mandated GPS-enabled transport and PoS transactions to track mineral movement, alongside stricter enforcement of royalty clearance certificates, in accordance with High Court directions.Omar Abdullah stressed that all clearances and NoCs must be secured before auctioning mineral blocks to prevent delays for successful bidders.On illegal mining, the Chief Minister underscored that such activities are possible only with collusion at lower administrative levels. “With today’s technology, illegal mining cannot persist without internal complicity. The department must use these tools to eliminate such possibilities,” he said.He also reviewed exploration projects by MECL and GSI covering sapphire, lithium, lignite, biogenic gas, granite, graphite, gypsum, copper, and base metals across various districts. He stressed strict adherence to environmental regulations, especially in eco-sensitive zones, while pursuing sustainable mineral development.Commending the department for embracing digital innovation and reforms, Omar Abdullah called for sustained focus on transparency, efficiency, and environmental responsibility in the mining sector.