Under the dynamic leadership of Punjab Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Mines and Geology department has achieved remarkable milestones in 2024, establishing new benchmarks in transparency, efficiency and sustainable mining practices.
"Our focus has been on modernizing the mining sector while ensuring benefits reach the common citizen," stated Punjab Mining and Geology Minister Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal, highlighting the department's citizen-centric approach.
He said that the department's Public Mining Program has seen outstanding success through the implementation of the Punjab Minor Mineral Policy 2023, with 73 public mining sites becoming operational, which generated Rs.16.07 crore for the state and Rs.13.77 crore for local villagers, while helping stabilize sand prices.
He said that so far 18.37 Lakh MT of sand has been sold, which shows the program's effectiveness in meeting public demand. Similarly, in commercial mining, the department has successfully auctioned 41 clusters covering 65 sites, generating Rs.9 crore in revenue.
The department plans to expand this success by auctioning 100 clusters, maintaining affordable pit head sale prices at Rs.5.50 per cubic feet (excluding GST). Sh. Goyal informed that the digital transformation efforts have yielded significant improvements in ease of doing business.
The department has streamlined basement charges and integrated its online mining portal with "Invest Punjab." This integration ensured permit issuance within 72 hours through an automatic approval system, enhancing both efficiency and transparency. In case, there is a procedural delay, the permit gets approved automatically after the lapse of 72 hours, he added.
Fight against illegal mining intensified
Mining and Geology Minister Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal said that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led government is committed to completely curb the practices of illegal mining and the fight against illegal mining has been intensified with comprehensive measures including establishing toll-free complaint numbers, formation of Sub-Divisional committees and Flying Squads.
He said that between the period of April 2022 and May 2024, the department got registered 1,169 FIRs and 867 challans have been issued to the person involved in illegal mining activities.
Revenue collection has grown substantially
The Cabinet Minister said that the revenue collection has grown substantially, reaching Rs.288.75 crore in financial year 2023-24, up from Rs.247 crore in financial year 2022-23.
To provide more mining material to the general public at cheaper rates, the department is working to include more sites in the DSRs and verify the data provided in the mining plans to prevent any issues or objections from the SEIAA/SEAC at a later stage, which could lead to a waste of time and government resources.
Committees, consisting of officers at the level of Superintending Engineers and representatives from the Head Office, have been formed for this purpose. As of now, 45 site visits have been conducted by these committees across the state of Punjab. In addition to these sites, many more sites have been visited by the Sub-Divisional Level Committees to include them in the DSRs.
Pb Mines Inspection App launched
Talking about the technological advancements in the department, Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal informed that technological innovation has been at the forefront with the launch of the "Pb Mines Inspection APP," which enabling citizens to report illegal mining activities in real-time with multimedia capability including photos, videos or both.
Besides this, a landmark PPP initiative worth around Rs.37 crore has been launched to install modern weighbridges and surveillance systems at crusher sites, incorporating advanced technologies such as ANPR, PTZ cameras and RFID readers.
The Cabinet Minister informed that the Punjab Crusher Policy 2023 has been Introduced to address crusher unions' concerns and planned transparent e-Tendering for selecting Public Crusher Units under the Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Act and based on the lowest mineral price quoted by such as crusher unit.
He said that the introduction of the Punjab Crusher Policy 2023 showcasing the department's commitment to addressing industry concerns while maintaining transparency through e-Tendering processes for Public Crusher Units.
"We are building a mining sector that not only contributes to Punjab's economy but also ensures environmental sustainability and community welfare," said Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal.