Lok Sabha Question No. 1412 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-26
Subject: Task Forces for Illegal Mining
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK, MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1412

TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.07.2018

## TASK FORCES FOR ILLEGAL MINING

## † 1412. SHRI VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK: SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government has constituted task forces at district level in various States to control the illegal mining;
- (b)  if so, the districts where said task forces have been constituted and those where these are yet to be constituted;
- (c)  the  illegal  miners  caught  by  these  task  forces  during  the  last  three  years, location-wise;
- (d)  the  action  taken  against  such  illegal  miners  along  with  the  number  of  miners which  have  been  punished  including  the  number  of  those  against  whom proceedings are still going on; and
- (e)  the laws in force at present to check illegal mining?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINES AND COAL (SHRI HARIBHAI PARTHIBHAI CHAUDHARY ) (a)to(e): As  per section  23C  of  the  Mines  and  Minerals  (Development  and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957, State Governments have complete powers to make rules for preventing illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals and for the purposes connected therewith in the State. The State Governments have to constitute a Task Force at State and District Level, as part of the strategy which will be the key for prevention of illegal mining. The Task Force at State and District Level has to review the action taken by member departments for checking the illegal mining activities in their respective jurisdiction. Altogether,  22  State  Governments  have  already  constituted  the  Task  Force namely,  Andhra  Pradesh,  Assam,  Bihar,  Chhattisgarh,  Goa,  Gujarat,  Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nadu,  Uttar  Pradesh,

Mizoram,  Nagaland,  Odisha,  Punjab,  Rajasthan, Tamil Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Altogether,  23  States  have  already  framed  the  rules  under  section  23C  of MMDR Act, 1957 suiting to their local conditions for preventing illegal mining. These States are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,  Jammu  &  Kashmir,  Jharkhand,  Karnataka,  Kerala,  Madhya  Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.

Based on  the  information  given  by  the  State  Governments  in  the  quarterly returns on illegal mining submitted to Indian Bureau of Mines, details of instances of illegal  mining  for  both  major  and  minor  minerals  reported  for  the  last  three  years along with the details of action taken against the offenders is as under:

| Number of Illegal mining cases for major and minor minerals   | Number of Illegal mining cases for major and minor minerals   | Number of Illegal mining cases for major and minor minerals   | Number of Illegal mining cases for major and minor minerals   | Number of Illegal mining cases for major and minor minerals   | Number of Illegal mining cases for major and minor minerals   | Number of Illegal mining cases for major and minor minerals   | Action taken from 2013-14 to 2017-18 (Up to Quarter ending December - 2017)   | Action taken from 2013-14 to 2017-18 (Up to Quarter ending December - 2017)   | Action taken from 2013-14 to 2017-18 (Up to Quarter ending December - 2017)   | Action taken from 2013-14 to 2017-18 (Up to Quarter ending December - 2017)   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sr. No.                                                       | State                                                         | 2013 - 14                                                     | 2014 - 15                                                     | 2015 - 16                                                     | 2016- 17                                                      | 2017-18 (Quarter ending December - 2017)                      | FIR Lodged (Nos.)                                                             | Court Cases Filed (Nos.)                                                      | Vehicle Seized (No.)                                                          | Fine realized by State Govt. (Rs. Lakh)                                       |
| 1                                                             | Andhra Pradesh                                                | 7692                                                          | 9379                                                          | 9953                                                          | 9703                                                          | 6269                                                          | 22                                                                            | 12                                                                            | 9                                                                             | 15047.738                                                                     |
| 2                                                             | Chhattisgarh                                                  | 3994                                                          | 4953                                                          | 5862                                                          | 4794                                                          | 3427                                                          | 2                                                                             | 22987                                                                         | 1138                                                                          | 4004.317                                                                      |
| 3                                                             | Goa                                                           | 1                                                             | 0                                                             | 2                                                             | 0                                                             | 0                                                             | 1                                                                             | 0                                                                             | 1                                                                             | 0                                                                             |
| 4                                                             | Gujarat                                                       | 5447                                                          | 5716                                                          | 6499                                                          | 8325                                                          | 6069                                                          | 394                                                                           | 29                                                                            | 21963                                                                         | 17080.11                                                                      |
| 5                                                             | Haryana                                                       | 4548                                                          | 5333                                                          | 3912                                                          | 1345                                                          | 923                                                           | 656                                                                           | 0                                                                             | 0                                                                             | 3876.213                                                                      |
| 6                                                             | Himachal Pradesh                                              | n.r.                                                          | n. r.                                                         | n. r.                                                         | 783                                                           | 1753                                                          | 0                                                                             | 331                                                                           | 4                                                                             | 63.166                                                                        |
| 7                                                             | Jammu & Kashmir                                               | n.r.                                                          | n. r.                                                         | n. r.                                                         | n. r.                                                         | 1485                                                          | 0                                                                             | 0                                                                             | 1485                                                                          | 15.896                                                                        |
| 8                                                             | Jharkhand                                                     | 901                                                           | 1162                                                          | 1645                                                          | 838                                                           | 1573                                                          | 2939                                                                          | 481                                                                           | 4396                                                                          | 542.65                                                                        |
| 9                                                             | Karnataka                                                     | 8509                                                          | 8464                                                          | 9185                                                          | 5692                                                          | 4020                                                          | 1888                                                                          | 468                                                                           | 11597                                                                         | 11649.30                                                                      |
| 10                                                            | Kerala                                                        | 4448                                                          | 4172                                                          | 3701                                                          | 4861                                                          | 5721                                                          | 0                                                                             | 0                                                                             | 0                                                                             | 9204.43                                                                       |
| 11                                                            | Madhya Pradesh                                                | 6725                                                          | 8173                                                          | 13627                                                         | 13880                                                         | 11619                                                         | 516                                                                           | 42942                                                                         | 2978                                                                          | 115077.685                                                                    |
| 12                                                            | Maharashtra                                                   | 36476                                                         | 32717                                                         | 33621                                                         | 31173                                                         | 18974                                                         | 1329                                                                          | 1                                                                             | 16375 8                                                                       | 31058.05                                                                      |
| 13                                                            | Mizoram                                                       | 21                                                            | 26                                                            | n. r.                                                         | n. r.                                                         | n. r.                                                         | 1                                                                             | 0                                                                             | 0                                                                             | 1.537                                                                         |
| 14                                                            | Odisha                                                        | 76                                                            | 104                                                           | 62                                                            | 45                                                            | 36                                                            | 0                                                                             | 4                                                                             | 79                                                                            | 1181.292                                                                      |
| 15                                                            | Rajasthan                                                     | 2953                                                          | 2945                                                          | 3661                                                          | 3945                                                          | 3622                                                          | 2584                                                                          | 41                                                                            | 11695                                                                         | 7772.346                                                                      |
| 16                                                            | Tamilnadu                                                     | 1078                                                          | 205                                                           | 58                                                            | 87                                                            | 48                                                            | 15297                                                                         | 16                                                                            | 45905                                                                         | 15477.082                                                                     |
| 17                                                            | Telangana                                                     | -                                                             | 3311                                                          | 6538                                                          | 5839                                                          | 4593                                                          | 0                                                                             | 0                                                                             | 4                                                                             | 5315.61                                                                       |
| 18                                                            | Uttar Pradesh                                                 | 8718                                                          | 10024                                                         | 11575                                                         | 5737                                                          | 6949                                                          | 1474                                                                          | 3889                                                                          | 0                                                                             | 10718.11                                                                      |
| 19                                                            | West Bengal                                                   | n.r.                                                          | n. r.                                                         | 575                                                           | n. r.                                                         | n. r.                                                         | 1132                                                                          | 0                                                                             | 218                                                                           | 0                                                                             |
| Grand Total                                                   | Grand Total                                                   | 91587                                                         | 96684                                                         | 110476                                                        | 97047                                                         | 77081                                                         | 28235                                                                         | 71201                                                                         | 265230                                                                        | 248085.532                                                                    |

n.r* (not reported by State Government)

Source: Indian Bureau of Mines

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