By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 25 Dec: District Magistrate Savin Bansal today issued strict orders for extensive action against illegal mining, storage, and transportation in the district. All the related departments including the revenue department, trade tax, GST have been directed to jointly take effective measures to maintain public interest, state interest, public peace, and law and order.
Bansal, who is also remembered for having taken strict action against mining mafias as the District Magistrate in Nainital, has now taken serious cognisance of the complaints regarding illegal mining received during a multipurpose camp and field visits organised in Kalsi, Doiwala, and Rishikesh, recently. Orders have been issued to effectively curb illegal mining, illegal storage of mined material, and transportation. The DM has emphasised the strict application of the new law on illegal mining. He has also directed the officers to desist from the practice of levying compounding penalties and then letting go of the illegally mined material.
During a review meeting held here, today, Bansal instructed officers to register cases directly under the relevant provisions of BNS and seize vehicles involved in illegal mining, storage, or transportation beyond the prescribed capacity. He also assigned responsibilities to the Revenue Department, Trade Tax, GST, Forest, Irrigation, Mining, and other related departments and warned them that failure to act on illegal activities would result in legal action against the erring officials under relevant provisions of law.
The DM also assigned the responsibility of registering cases to the JD Law and Prosecution Officer. He stressed that in cases of illegal mining, storage, and transportation on revenue land, forest land, or other departmental lands within Dehradun district, criminal cases would now also be registered under relevant sections of the BNS, in addition to actions under the Mining Act. If related to forest land, cases will also be registered under relevant sections of the Indian Forest Act. The Joint Director, Law and Prosecution Officer, would be required to assist in preparing and registering the First Information Report.
Bansal added that every department would be required to nominate a Gazetted officer responsible for registering cases in every mining area and provide this information to the office. If departments fail to act on noticed cases, legal action would be taken against the responsible officers under relevant sections of the Mines and Mineral Regulation and Development Act 1957, he warned.
The DM emphasised the necessity of curbing illegal mining, storage, and transportation of sub-minerals to maintain public interest, state interest, law and order, and public peace and warned that non-compliance with these orders would result in violations of Uttarakhand State Employees’ Conduct Rules and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. He also instructed the SDMs concerned to ensure strict compliance with these orders. He also stated that a review would soon be conducted in this respect and that any laxity in implementation would result in adverse entry in ACR.
