Lok Sabha Question No. 831 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-05
Subject: Illegal Mining near Wildlife Sanctuaries
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sangamlal Kadedin Gupta, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Chandra Prakash Joshi, Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.831

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2021

## Illegal Mining near Wildlife Sanctuaries

831.   SHRI SANGAM LAL GUPTA:

SHRI MANOJ TIWARI:

SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI:

SHRI RAMDAS C.TADAS:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of illegal mining occurring near wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has received complaints from various States relating to such illegal mining during the last three years;
- (d) if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise; and
- (e) the action taken by the Government thereon?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a) to (e) State Governments (Department of mines and Geology)are the nodal authority in the  State  for  dealing  with  the  allotment  of  mining  leases  under  Mines  and  Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 [MMDR Act] under the Ministry of Mines, Govt. of  India.  It  is  entrusted  with  enforcement  and  regulation  of  mining  operations  in  their respective states including illegal mining. Further, the State Government is empowered under section 23 C of the Mines and Minerals (Development and regulation) Act 1957(MMDR Act) to make rules for prevention of illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals.  The projects  of  mining  require  prior  environmental  clearance  as  per  the  Environment  Impact Assessment  (EIA)  Notification,  2006,  as  amended  from  time  to  time,  notified  under  the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The enforcement of various legal provisions including enforcement of guidelines for sustainable mining with a view to containing the menace of illegal mining is purely in the domain of the State Governments and UT's Administrations. All  representation  received  regarding  illegal  mining  are  forwarded  to  concerned  state authorities for appropriate action. State-wise details of receipts enclosed as annexure .

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## Annexure referred to in reply to paras (a) to ( e) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No 831 due for reply on 5.2.2021 regarding illegal mining near wildlife Sanctuaries - Complaints received on online Public Grievances portal relating to Illegal mining

|   Sl No | State            |   2018 |   2019 |   2020 |
|---------|------------------|--------|--------|--------|
|       1 | Andhra Pradesh   |      2 |      2 |      1 |
|       2 | Assam            |      2 |      3 |      1 |
|       3 | Bihar            |      1 |      1 |      4 |
|       4 | Chhattisgarh     |      2 |      2 |      1 |
|       5 | Delhi            |      1 |      2 |      0 |
|       6 | Gujarat          |      0 |      6 |      2 |
|       7 | Haryana          |      1 |      5 |      1 |
|       8 | Himachal Pradesh |      2 |      0 |      1 |
|       9 | Jharkhand        |      2 |      1 |      3 |
|      10 | Karnataka        |      3 |      3 |      2 |
|      11 | Kerala           |      1 |      9 |      2 |
|      12 | Madhya Pradesh   |      4 |      0 |      2 |
|      13 | Maharashtra      |      2 |      5 |      0 |
|      14 | Odisha           |      3 |      2 |      2 |
|      15 | Punjab           |      4 |      0 |      0 |
|      16 | Rajasthan        |      7 |      5 |     10 |
|      17 | Tamil Nadu       |      3 |      1 |      4 |
|      18 | Telangana        |      3 |      2 |      0 |
|      19 | Uttara Pradesh   |      2 |      7 |      1 |
|      20 | Uttarakhand      |      7 |      1 |      2 |
|      21 | West Bengal      |      0 |      0 |      1 |