MANDATE CORRESPONDENT
JAMMU, OCT 8

Anni Piyeh Kuti Chaate, seems happening in J&K Geology & Mining Department under
the able leadership of Dy. Chief Minister, Surinder Kumar Choudhary
In Jammu division also same modus operandi was reported wherein a fine of Rs. 2 crores
was imposed but never realized
Not very long ago the then District Mineral Officer, Kathua raided 03 different Minor
Mineral extraction sites of Megha Engineering and Infra Pvt. Ltd. which is contracted for
construction of expressway from Balsua to Hiranagar
while speaking to the mandate the then DMO, Kathua Mr. Varinder Singh said that he
has raided the sites and imposed a fine of Rs. 2 crores in erring company however when
inquired about the realization of the said fine he said that he was not aware as he had
been transferred and was not aware of the latter developments.
The next call was to the present DMO, Kathua Mr. Vishal Dogra regarding the realization
of the fine who said that so far no recovery has been made as the Govt. had formed a
committee to examine the charges, however so far the report was inconclusive
prompting the Govt. to form another committee to untangle the mess so created .
However the grape vine is that there were some understanding at the highest level and a
way was been carved to facilitate the smooth operations of the infra projects without
causing “undue” hardship on the Construction company.
A social activist from Kathua who wanted to remain anonymous accused the Dy. Chief
Minister who also holds the charge of Mining Department of causing the mess to extract
moolah by hob nobbing with ever obliging Officials of Mining Department.

Few days back newspapers from valley reported huge bungling in recovery of fine
imposed by J&K Geology & Mining Department on certain construction companies
operating in Kashmir.
According to reports the Dy. CM during the course of discussions in J&K Legislative
Assembly averred that he had imposed a fine of Rs. 80 lakhs on the erring construction
company. However, when a social activist filed a RTI it was revealed that only Rs.
86,445/- had been realized .
l we are reproducing the report published in Kashmir Observer dated 23 September,
2025;
“In March this year, I sat in front of my screen feeling a rare sense of relief
The J&K Assembly was in session and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder
Chodhary, who also heads the Mining Department, announced that a
Haryana-based construction company, NKC Projects Pvt. Ltd., had been
penalised Rs 80 lakh.
The company had been caught carrying out illegal riverbed mining in the
Shaliganga stream in Budgam. For someone like me, who has spent years
campaigning against unregulated sand and boulder extraction in Kashmir’s
fragile rivers, this sounded like a long-awaited sign that the system was
finally working.
In Khansahib, locals had seen heavy machinery, including L&T cranes and
JCBs, ploughing into the Shaliganga without any clearance from the mining,
revenue, or forest departments. Their protests went unheard until Saifudin
Bhat, the MLA from Khansahib, raised the alarm inside the Assembly.
The Deputy Chief Minister responded with confidence. He told the House that
the District Mineral Officer, Budgan had taken strict action, verified the
complaint, and imposed a penalty of Rs 80 lakh for unauthorised extraction
of nearly 300 metric tons of river material.
Newspapers across Kashmir and even national outlets like The Economic
Times and Business Standard reported the statement. For a region battling
climate stress, shrinking glaciers, and polluted waterways, such enforcement
matters. Sand mining has turned rivers into scars, lowering water tables and
destabilising banks.