Mining deptt enhances revenue realisation by over 500% in 2 years

Jammu, Jan 14 : Good governance not only means continuous monitoring and promulgation of stringent laws for bringing efficiency at every layer of administration but also bringing ease in availing services at door steps by people, an official handout said.

Among dozens of measures taken for the last two years, the department of Geology and Mining also has its share of reforms to streamline its functioning. It not only brought respite to common masses but enhanced the revenue of government exponentially by taking plethora of measures towards transparency and healthy competition.

With the same objective of promoting healthy competition and transparency in allotment of minor mineral blocks, the Department of Mining, switched over from open auction to e-auctioning.

As revealed by the department it has so far successfully e-auctioned 384 minor mineral blocks during the last two years generating a record unprecedented revenue of around Rs 321 crores. It says the revenue generation has seen a quantum jump of over 500 percent from previous years, wherein revenue realization was to the extent of around Rs 50 crores only.

The department has e-auctioned a total of 384 minor mineral blocks and issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) to 374 allottees. Moreover the department has also granted 133 mining leases, eight leases to PSUs, 21 STPs, three Quarry Licenses and three private mining leases.

In order to ensure Ease of Doing Business the Mining Department has also dispensed with the requirement of License to start operation of stone crushers/ hot and wet mixing plants in the UT. The requisite formalities for operation of unit have been restricted merely to gaining consent to operate from Pollution Control Board and NOC from Deputy Commissioner concerned with regard to the title of land and its usage. Earlier the unit holder had to seek NoCs from a number of departments defeating the purpose of good governance.

Further the department constituted single window clearance committee for clearance of projects. A district level committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner concerned to clear cases without moving from office to office.