Punjab Cabinet clears decks for setting up Enforcement Directorate to check illegal mining
Punjab Cabinet clears decks for the establishment of the Enforcement Directorate, announced by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh earlier this month, to check illegal mining in Punjab.
The Enforcement Directorate, to be headed by a senior police officer, not below the rank of a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), will be set up in the Mining and Geology Wing of the Water Resources department. It will also help in ramping up Punjab's revenues by curbing the menace of illegal mining.
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A spokesperson of Captain Amarinder Singh’s Office, after the Punjab Cabinet meeting, said the ED would help in checking and stopping unauthorised movement of minor minerals within the state and at the interstate borders of Punjab, in conjunction with the officials of the Mining department.
It will also facilitate prosecution of those indulging in illegal mining under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. Working closely with the Mining Wing of Water Resources department, the ED will also check that those involved in the sand and gravel business do not overcharge on the sale price ceiling prescribed in the Mining Policy.
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The ED will have the mandate to develop strategies, measures, and methods to effectively achieve the above objectives in coordination with Director Mining, Chief Engineers dealing with mining, and District Level Illegal Mining Enforcement Committees’ under the Deputy Commissioners.
It will also develop actionable intelligence for said purpose and co-ordinate with agencies of the neighbouring states dealing with the issue of illegal mining.
The ED would be headed by a Senior Police Officer, not below the rank of a DIG at the state level, and would be assisted by 3 SP level Officers in the Head Office.
Each of the 7 mining blocks (number may vary as per government policy) would be headed by an officer not below the rank of a DSP, with 21 Inspectors/Sub Inspectors at the district level (3 per DSP) and 175 Head Constables/Constables under them.
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