Review Meeting on Illegal Mining Prevention – State Government Adopts a Strict Approach

• Officials Must Prioritize State Interests: CM Bhajanlal Sharma
• Joint Inspection Teams to be Formed at Headquarters Level**

Jaipur – Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to curbing illegal mining, announcing strict and effective measures, including surprise joint operations to crack down on mining mafias. He emphasized that officials must fulfill their responsibilities with complete dedication and prioritize the state’s interests above all else.

Sharma made these remarks while addressing a review meeting at the Chief Minister’s residence on Wednesday, discussing actions taken to control illegal mining activities. He highlighted Rajasthan’s vast mineral resources, which provide direct and indirect employment to millions and contribute significantly to state revenue. The government aims to ensure proper utilization of mineral wealth while increasing revenue from the sector. He instructed officials to set clear targets and work towards them efficiently.

Strict Action Against Illegal Mining

The Chief Minister directed authorities to take stringent action against illegal mining to protect public interests. He emphasized the need for collective efforts and urged coordination between the police, district administration, forest department, transport department, and mining department. District collectors were specifically instructed to act decisively against mining mafias, ensuring strict enforcement of laws to instill fear among violators. He also directed the mining department to monitor district-level SIT (Special Investigation Team) meetings regularly and submit daily reports.

Drone Surveillance for Effective Monitoring

Sharma proposed the use of drones and advanced technology to monitor and prevent illegal mining. He suggested conducting aerial photography and videography of mining areas to strengthen enforcement. Additionally, he ordered the formation of a Joint Task Force at the headquarters level for surprise inspections. Pending cases related to illegal mining should be resolved quickly to accelerate enforcement actions.

Promotion of M-Sand as an Alternative to River Sand

The Chief Minister stressed the need to promote M-Sand (manufactured sand) as an alternative to river sand under the M-Sand Policy. He called for establishing M-Sand units across the state and encouraging its use as an affordable alternative, reducing dependency on river sand extraction. Additionally, he assured that vacant positions in the mining department would be filled soon. He reviewed illegal mining activities in districts like Tonk, Nagaur, Bhilwara, Sawai Madhopur, Deeg, Kotputli, Rajsamand, and Chittorgarh, providing necessary directives to district collectors.

Government’s Focus on Legal Mining and Revenue Growth

Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant reiterated the state government’s priority to promote legal mining while curbing illegal activities. He emphasized that boosting legal mining would increase state revenue and generate employment opportunities.

In the meeting, Principal Secretary of Mines and Petroleum, T. Ravikant, presented a detailed report on potential mineral-rich and sensitive districts, legal provisions against illegal mining, enforcement actions over the past five years, and the institutional framework for controlling illegal activities.

High-Level Participation

The meeting was attended by DGP U.R. Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (Forests & Environment) Aparna Arora, Additional Chief Secretary (CM Office) Shikhar Aggarwal, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Anand Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (Public Works) Praveen Gupta, Principal Secretary (Revenue) Dinesh, and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Arijit Banerjee.
Additionally, district collectors, superintendents of police, and other district-level officials joined the meeting via video conference.