In a candid confession on the floor of the House about the spreading of powerful tentacles of mining mafia in the State, Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Friday sought support of MlAs in containing the menace.
“These mining mafias have close nexus and their tentacles are spread even in bureaucratic circles but I want support from entire House to contain the illegal mining which is not only causing damage to State’s ecology, but even the revenue to the exchequer,” said Agnihotri in the Budget session of the Himachal Assembly.
He added that these Mafias have reaches across the border and vehicles registered in those States are coming into the State possibly in nexus with officials which need to be checked at any cost.
“I request the MlAs, not to call the mining department or me, if vehicles are seized for illegally carrying raw materials,” said Agnihotri.
He said that these Mafia have not made their presence felt in just one day and they have risen with time and had build strong nexus in different rank.
“Three districts are more prone to illegal mining which include Una, Hamirpur and Kangra while the rest of the districts of the state are covered under Forest Act and therefore there is little scope of illegal mining,” the minister said.
He disclosed in the House that the mining department had entrusted 39 officials with magistrate powers and department had constituted several flying squads under their supervision which is acting tough with these illegal miners and nearly 50 vehicles are seized each day.
Agnihotri said that fine of over Rs1 crore has been recovered by the department from illegal mining in the past 100 days. He sought more information from MlAs in their respective areas about illegal mining being done and assured of prompt action.
The minister, however, said that the State Government does not want to punish the petty miners who are just a small fish in the ocean of scandal.
“Our intention is very clear that we want to stop illegal mining and mafia should now remember that their days are numbered and now they will not be spared,” he added.
Congress MlA Kuldeep Kumar and BJP MlA Ravinder Kumar Ravi raised the issue of growing menace of illegal mining in the State and asked the Government to take stern action as several rivers and rivulets are being plagued by illegal mining, which is posing danger to ecology.
Earlier, in the written reply in the House, the Industries minister said that in past three years till February 2013, total of 11, 647 cases of illegal mining have come into notice and in 7,738 cases machineries were compounded with compounding fees of Rs3.67 crore and 3,038 cases have moved to different courts.
State government to order fresh Vigilance inquiry into Pulses scam
Himachal Government on Friday said that Vigilance bureau will do fresh inquiry into the allegations of multi-crore pulses scam which allegedly took place during the previous BJP Government as the bureau had in previous inquiry failed to arrive to any conclusion.
Replying to a question of Congress MlA Sanjay Rattan, food and civil supplies minister GS Balli said that two persons have been booked in the case and departmental proceedings are also underway but state vigilance bureau had not found any thing incrementing against other staff of food and civil supplies corporation.
Balli also clarified that there is no information about the total loss which was incurred due to the scam as the investigation is still underway.
Shimla-Kaza road yet to get forest clearance: Virbhadra
The proposed road project to link Shimla with the picturesque Spiti Valley has been delayed on account of the failure to obtain forest clearance for it, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said on Friday.
"The mandatory clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act has not been obtained," the Chief Minister told the Assembly in a written reply.
The proposed project will shorten the distance between Shimla and Kaza in lahaul-Spiti district by 100 km.
"The construction has been delayed due to a wildlife sanctuary and some forest land," he said, adding that the road would also pass through private lands and the owners are not willing to donate their land for the road.