Rajasthan Chapter, Udaipur June, 2019 Bi-Monthly Vol
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Rajasthan Chapter, Udaipur June, 2019 Bi-Monthly Vol. 19 No. 3 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE National President MEAI : Shri A.K. Kothari MINISTRY OF MINES Mob. : 9414155413 The new Central Minister of Coal & Mines is Shri Prahlad Joshi. MEAI congratulates him for this. Email : [email protected] MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST & CLIMATE CHANGE Patron : Shri R. P. Gupta Patron : Shri Akhilesh Joshi The GOI has issued notification that public hearing would not be necessary for giving EC for an area Chairman : Prof. (Dr.) S. S. Rathore up to 5 hect for Sand. Mob : 98290 41632 STATE OF RAJASTHAN E mail : [email protected] 1. The State Govt have issued written directions vide circular dt. 27.6.19 that all Govt officers should Vice-Chairman : Shri L.S. Shekhawat give their name and designation below their signature in all communications and also at the bottom Mob : 9001294907 office address, Fax no. e mail ID etc be given. E mail : [email protected] 2. By order No. F 14(6)Khan/ Gr-2/2015-Part dt. 30.5.19, the State Govt has increased compensation Secretary : Shri M.S. Paliwal to be paid to the persons suffering from silicosis from Rs. One lac to two lacs. This amount is paid Mob : 9414264334 from DMFT fund. E mail : [email protected] CBI BEGINS PROBE IN GRANT OF LICENSES TO EXPLORE ATOMIC MINERALS – HC stalls probe Joint Secretary : Dr. S.C. Jain but SC overturns order. Six years after it reported serious procedural irregularities in the process of Mob : 94137 63980 allocating blocks for mineral exploration, the CBI will begin a Preliminary Enquiry into the granting of E mail : [email protected] licenses to private parties in 2010, to explore and mine atomic minerals. Alleging a major scam in the Treasurer : Shri H.K. Vyas process of granting licenses, as only government or government companies are allowed to mine Mob : 94141 63353 atomic minerals in view of their strategic significance, the CBI is probing various senior government E mail : [email protected] officers involved in the grant of licenses without due diligence. A Geological Survey of India report EXECUTIVE MEMBERS indicates that the mineral resources in the area, where licenses were granted for offshore blocks, include monazite, an rare-earth containing mineral prescribed in the schedule to the Atomic Energy Sarveshri A. K. Porwal, O.P. Soni, Act. "Officers practiced a pick-and-choose formula in granting 50 mining leases for atomic minerals M. K. Mehta, A. M. Ansari & S. K. Vashisth to companies within the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) area... most of the mining activities have PERMANENT INVITEES : been stopped since 2013," a source in CBI said. The CBI source said that officers allegedly took Sarveshri T.K.Rath, Narayan Rajak, R.L. Udai, advantage of lack of provisions governing handling of monazite, which is usually found along with Mangi Lal Lunawat, Dr. Anupam Bhatnagar, atomic minerals such as ilmenite, rutile, zircon, etc., R.D. Saxena, P.R. Prajapat & P. Padar The government had enacted the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development & Regulation) Act, 2002 in COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN 2003 to develop, regulate, and exploit the mineral resources available in the territorial waters, News Letter : Y. C. Gupta continental shelf and other maritime zones of India. In 2006, the Offshore Areas Mineral Concession Mob : 94142 34746 Rules were framed. Both the act and the rules came into force in 2010 and 62 blocks were notified for E mail : [email protected] grant of exploration licenses. In a first for the country, blocks were notified for grant of exploration Student Chapter: Dr. S.C.Jain licenses. Earlier, no activity related to exploration and consequently mining in offshore areas had Environment & Plantaon: Sh. A.K. Nandwana been ever undertaken. But after the CRZ notification was issued by Ministry of Environment and Social Relaons : Shri N.C.Bansal Forest in 2011, all blocks fell under the CRZ areas and attracted restrictions, the source said, adding Resource Generaon : Shri N.K. Kothari that only the mining of rare minerals not found outside the CRZ was permitted. Training & Placement : Shri V.P. Joshi In March 2011, 16 applicants for allocation of blocks were short-listed as per the approved guidelines Technical Talk & Seminar: Shri R.C.Kumawat for 62 exploration blocks. "A committee found out that block numbers 3 and 32 in the Arabian Sea Fellowship: Shri P.C.Kachhara were the same, more than one block was applied for by applicants, many of the blocks notified Office Management & Membership : overlapped with onshore areas, and associated companies of the same group applied for the same Shri Mohan Lal Paliwal block. Despite this, the then Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) went ahead with Published by : issuance of order for grant of exploration licences," an internal document noted. In July 2011, the MEAI- Rajasthan Chapter, Udaipur Chief Vigilance Officer conducted preliminary enquiry and submitted a report highlighting various 110-111, Indraprasth Complex, lapses in the whole process. "Due diligence was not made while scrutinizing the applications; that 4th Floor, Delhigate- Shastri Circle Road, the document submitted with the applications were very preliminary in nature... for technical Udaipur - 313 001 (Raj.) collaboration, a very preliminary e-mail has been taken as evidence by the screening committee," Ph. : 0294- 2410709 the document noted. Email : [email protected] 1 In March 2013, the CBI made preliminary enquiry into the matter From Editor's Desk With Best Compliments and submitted its report highlighting serious procedural In Rajasthan I learnt for the first time that any irregularities. In 2016, the administering authority annulled the court has given jail sentence to a Mining notification issued on June 7, 2010 and all consequential actions Engineer or Mine owner in relation to mine n;kyky n;k jkgqy n;k for grant of exploration licenses were withdrawn. However, in accident. This time a court has awarded 2 yrs 9413318482 9829510888 November 2017, a government counsel made a submission in the jail term and a fine of Rs. 4500 to former 4 Delhi High Court based on "incorrect interpretation" of the officials of Dariba mines in the accident which October 6, 2017 amendment to the CRZ notifications on the took place 25 yrs. ago. Every week or other, news appears in local instructions of an officer in the Mines Ministry, according to the media that either Police taking money or illegal excavators document, adding that these instructions were never examined assaulting or firing on the checking party when they go to check nor approved by a competent authority. The counsel informed illegal excavation of river sand. A stock was taken as to what is the court that there has been material change in CRZ regulations the news all over India in this respect. The Rajasthan Director and now there is no impediment for the order dated April 5, 2011 General of Police, admitted, before the CM in one of the for grant of exploration license to be processed further in meeting, that corruption has increased in Police since ban on accordance with law, said the document. excavation of river sand was imposed The Chapter in association pkjHkqtk Øs'kj The court set aside the notification issued in 2016 and a direction with Dept. of Mines and Geology, Government of Rajasthan was given to the appellants to take further steps to process the organized National Seminar on the theme “Digitalization and e- grant of exploration license pursuant as per order April 5, 2011. Governance in Mining Industry” during June 22-23, 2019 in ¼Øs'kj fxV~Vh ,oa jsrh ds fuekZrk ,oa foØsrk½ As a consequence, two deeds for exploration licenses were Udaipur. Report on this and the recommendations which have executed in a hasty manner, the document added. The CBI had emerged from this seminar are also given. charge sheeted the officer concerned. In April 2019, the Centre I hope the reader would find all these and other news interesting. wrote to the CBI for initiating a preliminary enquiry regarding Y C Gupta certain irregularities noted by the Mines Ministry related to the ILLEGAL SAND MINING VIOLENCE 2018: AT LEAST 28 allocation of exploration licenses and the subsequent signing of PEOPLE DIED ACROSS INDIA }kjk fufeZr the deed of exploration licenses in favour of certain companies. The Centre filed an additional affidavit bringing on the record its Across the country, many government officials were killed while VSI taking action against illegal sand extraction in 2018. So were the policy decision of banning all the mining activity of atomic and lethal attacks on reporters and citizens for exposing illegalities and rare minerals through the private parties. A former senior objecting to illegal mining activities. Many innocent people lost government officer challenged the CBI's enquiry in the Delhi High jsrh ds vuq:i yscksjsVªh VsLVsM lives in accidents related to illegal sand mining related incidents. Court, which, on May 31, stayed it. The Centre challenged the This compilation of sand mining related incidents also highlights IS 383 decision in the Supreme Court, within few minutes which stayed how illegal sand mining was damaging the infrastructure providing the high court order, paving the way for the CBI to begin its probe. essential services. Shri Ranjan Sahai went to the Delhi HC. He had said that he was According to available media reports 11 people were murdered being made to pay for being whistle blower (Source: TOI dt. including government officials, police personnel, reporters and 2.6.19 & internet) citizens in 2018 for opposing illegal sand mining, while 18 people DEPTT OF MINES & GEOLOGY, RAJASTHAN died in related activities. Also 22 people faced attacks by sand mafia The Deptt is engaged in continuous auctioning of minor mineral while 12 were threatened of grim consequences.