JAMMU: The loot of Minor Mineral goes on unabated under the eagle eyes of Deputy Chief Minister of the UT, Surinder Kumar Choudhary, though he has been blaming the Police for the theft but the facts speak otherwise.
E-Auction for 384 Blocks was carried out under the LG Administration and successful bidders were required to deposit 50% of the bid amount and the Geology & Mining Department on it part issued the Letter of Intent (LoI) to the successful bidders who were further directed to submit approved Mining Plan, Environment clearance and Consent to Operate along with remaining 50% bid amount .
However, when one successful bidder of District Jammu completed all the codal formalities and also deposited remaining 50% bid amount within stipulated time, he was told that his Letter of Intent (LoI) did not hold good as the then Director, Geology & Mining, J&K has not taken administrative approval, violating rule 55(8) of SRO-105.
According to insiders the real problem started after Mr. Surinder Kumar Choudhary took over the charge of Mining Department and started interfering with day to day running of the department. Not only did he recklessly transferred District Mineral Officers and posting his blue eyed boys giving then charge of more than one district and shunting others to irrelevant positions despite complainants.
There are number of instances where police, off and on impounded various vehicles carrying illegal Minor Minerals but the department has so far not lodged any formal FIR’s at least in district Jammu against Lessees or Stone Crusher Owners who are notorious offenders behind national loot.
And rightly so the Minister ever since he took over the reins of the department has been frequenting crusher sites and Mining areas and imposing penalties but it seems that this is an eye wash only because no further action has so far been reported.
One fails to understand how Minister’s visit legalizes illegal activities as claimed by the Minister himself.
Where experts blame illegal extraction of Minor Minerals for floods recently witnessed by Jammu Division how come the Minister did not bother to investigate huge illegal Mining at Sardan Nallah (Bajalta area), Jammu, is it because his kin is running a crusher there flouting all norms in the book for preserving the sanity of the norms laid down for Environmental perseverance.
Interestingly, the Chief Minister of the UT, Mr. Omar Abdullah has been crying foul saying that he cannot transfer even his Peon but here is his minister who has turned his department upside down with impurity.
