By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Wednesday said, Odisha reported 16 cases of illegal mining during 2019-20, which was increased to 18 in 2020-2021 while it touches all time high with 129 cases of illegal mining and transportation in 2021-22.
Only 27 vehicles were seized during this period with Fine realized by State Government Rs 255.1993 Lakh. Minister Joshi said while quoting the information provided by various State Governments to the Indian Bureau of Mines, a Sub-ordinate Office of Ministry of Mines.During this period, not a single FIR was lodged and not a single court cases reported.
The Minister said, the Government has vested power in the State Governments for enacting laws to check illegal mining. Section 23C of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) 1957, empowers the State Governments to frame rules to prevent illegal mining and the State Governments may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make such rules for preventing illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals and for the purposes connected therewith.
In pursuance of the provisions of Section 23(C) of the Act, altogether, 22 State Governments namely, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and West Bengal have framed rules to curb illegal mining.
