‘35 confirmed illegal mining cases; most states have district mineral foundations’

As per information disclosed, 296 triggers to alleged illegal mining activities generated in the initial phase of satellite-based monitoring system; `6,682 crore has been collected for district welfare schemes and its utilisation will be discussed in the

UNDER THE mining surveillance system (MSS), launched in October 2016 to curb illegal mining with the use of space technology, 35 “confirmed unauthorised mining cases” have been detected in the country so far. Also, out of 12 mineral-rich states, 11 have established district mineral foundations (DMFS) that have collected Rs 6,681.79 crore from mining companies for district welfare schemes as mandated by the 2015 mining law, according to the information disclosed in the agenda for the conference of states’ mine ministers.

The conference will take place on Wednesday and Thursday in New Delhi. The Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015, also known as MMDRA Act, 2015, mandated DMFS in all districts affected by mining-related operations to carry out welfare works.

The MSS is a satellite-based monitoring system which checks 500 metres around the existing mining lease boundary to search for any unusual activity related to illegal mining. Any discrepancy is flagged off as a trigger. “The states were requested to do the field verification of the triggers. In the initial phase, a total of 296 triggers across the country covering a total area of 3,994.87 hectares have been generated in the MSS in October 2016,” the Union mines ministry noted in the agenda.

This ongoing field verification of these triggers is being done by district mining officials of the state government. Out of total 296 triggers, 198 have been inspected and reports have been submitted on it. The numbers of “mining activities of minor mineral” and “excavation/dumps of other mining activities” detected are 50 and 100, respectively.

“States are requested to utilise MSS for curbing illegal mining in minor minerals, where it is all the more rampant. The implementation of MSS for ‘minor minerals’ has been taken up by thea state governments with the support of state remote-sensing application centers expeditiously for which a time-bound action plan is required,” the ministry stated. Minerals such as building stones, gravel, ordinary clay and ordinary sand are classified as “minor minerals”.

On MSS, the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) will this month conduct three workshops with hands on training in Udaipur, Bengaluru and Kolkata to build capacities. The Union mines ministry has requested the state governments to send their officers for training in these workshop, and adopt the MSS for minor minerals as well.

On sand mining, the central government said it has been receiving high number of complaints from across the country. “The issue has been raised in Parliament on number of occasions. The power to prevent and control illegal mining has been devolved to the state governments ... the state governments are taking all possible efforts in this regard, still a lot needs to be done to fully address this problem. Therefore, the issue of illegal mining needs comprehensive deliberations to work out effective strategies to combat this serious issue. The state governments are requested to come prepared with a timebound action plan in this regard in the conference,” the mines ministry said.

According to government data, 48,467 illegal mining cases of major and minor minerals have been registered in Aprilseptember of 2015-16, compared with 97,149 in 2014-15, 88,689 in 2013-14 and 98,597 in 2012-13. According to the actiontaken report, 14,458 FIRS have been filed, 43,091 cases lodged in various courts, 1,81 lakh vehicles seized and about Rs 1,170 crore realised by states during 2012-13 and Aprilseptember 2015-16.

The IBM, on behalf of the mines ministry, has developed MSS, in co-ordination with the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG), Gandhinagar, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity). Khasra maps of mining leases have been geo-referenced in MSS, which are superimposed on the latest satellite remote sensing scenes obtained from CARTOSAT satellite and United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Of the 12 mineral-rich states, 11 have framed rules and established DMFS. So far, total 287 districts in 11 mineral rich states are covered under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY). On September 20, 2016, the Centre issued PMKKKY as a directive under Section 20A of the MMDRA Act, 2015. This scheme has to be implemented by the DMFS.

“Rs 6,681.79 crore has been collected in DMFS as on March 20, 2017. The status of collection of the money accrued in the DMF in the states and its utilisation would be discussed in the conference,” the ministry stated. The PMKKKY has mandated that 60 per cent of the DMF funds must be utilised for “high-priority areas” such as drinking water, environment preservation, pollution control, health care, education, skill development and women welfare. The remaining 40 per cent of the funds have to be used for infrastructure projects.

Jharkhand has told the mines ministry that 67 schemes have been sanctioned in the state for drinking water and sanitation. The state has also sanctioned 34,058 schemes for making villages free of open defecation. In total, it has allocated Rs 1,037.32 crores to implement these schemes, out of which, only Rs 7.38 crore has been spent as on March 20.

Odisha and Rajasthan have identified 1,013 schemes and 269 schemes under PMKKKY, and have allocated Rs 362.29 crore and Rs 21.5 crore, respectively. Odisha has spent 6.69 crores as on March 20. Rajasthan has not spent anything. Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have each identified 14 schemes under PMKKKY. Gujarat has told the mines ministry that schemes under DMF will be implemented after a “detailed survey”.

“The ministry is in the process of developing a portal for monitoring of the PMKKKY implementation. The states are requested to appoint nodal officers to upload the data on proposed portal for real time. Some of the states, who have already developed or are in the process of developing their IT platform for PMKKKY, need to integrate their system with the national portal being developed,” the Union ministry said. Tamil Nadu has not established DMF as on March 20.

According to the MMDRA Act, 2015, any mining licence or composite licence (prospecting licence-cum-mining licence) would be granted by state governments through auction route only. Such licence owners would have to pay DMF an amount equivalent to 10 per cent of the royalty. Under the old law, all mining licences used to be granted on a discretionary basis by state governments. For such licence owners, it was mandatory to pay DMFS an amount equivalent to 30 per cent of the royalty.

Ilustration: C R Sasikumar