*Holds meet with Industrial stakeholders
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 11: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a high-level meeting to review the ongoing reforms in the mining sector and assess measures aimed at curbing illegal mining across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Mining; Chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee; Divisional Commissioner, Jammu/Kashmir; Secretary, IT; IGP Jammu; Managing Director, Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Limited; Director, Geology and Mining; and other senior officers. The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and Deputy Commissioners of various districts participated in the meeting through video conferencing.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary reviewed the progress achieved under various mining sector reforms aimed at strengthening surveillance mechanisms, preventing illegal extraction of minerals and enhancing revenue realization from the sector.
The Chief Secretary also took a live demonstration of the Integrated Mining Surveillance System (IMSS), a digital platform designed to monitor the movement of vehicles transporting mining material across different districts of Jammu and Kashmir. While appreciating the initiative, he observed that there is still scope for further improvement in the system to ensure stricter checks against illegal mining activities.
Emphasizing the need for strengthening the technological framework, the Chief Secretary directed the department to share a clear problem statement with BISAG-N so that appropriate triggers can be developed to detect instances of illegal mining or extraction beyond permissible areas.
He also called for increasing the frequency of such automated alerts to weekly intervals, enabling the department to take timely corrective action on the ground. He further asked the department to specify a clear timeline for achieving the desired improvements in the surveillance system.
He further called for effective implementation of all reforms envisaged under the mining policy and the guidelines of the Union Ministry, reiterating that robust enforcement and surveillance mechanisms must be put in place to completely curb illegal mining in the Union Territory.
Additional Chief Secretary, Mining, Ashwani Kumar, informed the meeting that the department is actively working on upgrading the IMSS in coordination with BISAG-N. He emphasized that both enhanced surveillance and a foolproof enforcement mechanism are essential to effectively regulate the sector and prevent illegal mining.
He added that the IMSS dashboard is being integrated with the e-challan and e-market systems, which will enable generation of relevant alerts at shorter intervals and facilitate swift action by field functionaries.
Earlier, Director, Geology and Mining, S.P. Rukwal, in a detailed presentation, apprised the meeting about the current status of mining activities across Jammu and Kashmir. He informed that investigations related to minerals such as graphite, granite, sapphire, shallow gas and lithium are being carried out by the concerned agencies.
The meeting was informed that out of 235 identified minor mineral blocks in the Union Territory, 81 are currently operational. Extension of Letters of Intent (LoIs) has been issued to 10 blocks, while eight cases are pending before the competent authorities for issuance of LoIs. Mining leases in favour of four blocks are expected to be granted shortly, cumulatively projected to generate revenue of around ¹ 57 Cr for the UT.
Meanwhile, in a significant move to strengthen the industrial ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo today chaired stakeholders conference with the concerned government departments and stakeholders from industry and trade to deliberate on reforms introduced by the Department of Industries & Commerce for promoting Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in the Union Territory.
The session steered by the Commissioner, I&C, Vikramjit Singh and attended by the concerned Administrative Secretaries, Director, F&ES, MD J&K Bank; HoDs and major Industrial Associations like ASSOCHAM, PHDCCI, FICCI, FCIK, JCCI, ICC Jammu etc. The Conference provided a platform for detailed discussions on the revamped industrial policy, deregulation measures and initiatives aimed at supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the UT.
The conference focused on four key aspects, including creating greater awareness among stakeholders about the extensive deregulations and decriminalization measures implemented under Phase-I of Ease of Doing Business reforms. It also featured deliberations on the next phase of EoDB reforms to be undertaken in the Union Territory. The stakeholders were urged to take advantage of the MSME Health Clinic established under the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Scheme, besides sharing their feedback on the proposed revamp of the Industrial Policy for Jammu and Kashmir.
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