DC Budgam chairs interdepartmental meeting on mining and mineral extraction

BUDGAM : An Inter-Departmental District Level meeting was today convened under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner(DC) Budgam, Athar Aamir Khan to review, assess, and strengthen the regulatory and monitoring mechanisms for mineral extraction and transportation in the district.
During the meeting, a review of the existing enforcement framework was undertaken and the functioning of various departments involved in mineral regulation was assessed in detail.
The DC directed the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Budgam, to maintain strict vigil over Nallah Sukhnag, Doodhganga, and Shaliganga and other nallah’s of the District to ensure that no illegal extraction of minerals takes place from these water bodies.
The District Mineral Officer (DMO), Budgam, was directed to further strengthen the vigilance and ensure real-time monitoring across district.
The Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Budgam, was instructed to initiate strict action against vehicles and machinery, found involved in illegal mineral extraction and transportation activities.
The DC stressed that illegal mining and unauthorized transportation of minerals shall not be tolerated under any circumstances and reiterated that a zero-tolerance policy shall be adopted against all violators.
All Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) were directed to closely monitor incidents of illegal mining within their jurisdictions and ensure prompt legal action against offenders.
The R&B Department was directed to closely monitor road infrastructure affected by the movement of overloaded vehicles and to ensure the installation of proper checkpoints and barricades at vulnerable locations.
The department was further instructed to coordinate with enforcement agencies to prevent damage to public infrastructure caused by illegal mineral transportation.
The DC also directed all concerned departments to ensure time-bound implementation of the decisions taken during the meeting and to submit regular progress reports for review.
He further emphasized that coordinated enforcement drives shall be conducted jointly by all stakeholder departments and accountability shall be fixed in cases of negligence or lapses in enforcement.
The DC stated that these measures are aimed at strengthening governance, ensuring regulatory compliance, and protecting the natural resources of the district.
The meeting was attended by ADDC Budgam,Vivek Agarwal; ADC Budgam, ACR Budgam, all SDMs, Divisional Forest Officer, Executive Engineer I&FC, District Mineral Officer, ARTO, representatives of R&B department and other concerned officers.