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Govt has not finalised new mining policy: Punjab to HC
The Punjab government on Monday said that all mining contracts are in position as per existing mining policy and no new policy has been finalised
The Punjab government has told the Punjab and Haryana high court that no new mining policy has been finalised.
The state government on Monday said before a bench of justice Ajay Tewari and justice Alka Sarin that all the mining contracts are in position as per existing mining policy and no new policy has been finalised.
The submissions were made in a plea filed by Mahadev Enclave Private Limited, a mining firm that had approached the high court last week seeking quashing of the September 20 decision of state cabinet allowing “free mining”
“The high court has posted the matter for October 1 in view of the stand taken by the state government and asked for an affidavit on the same,” one of the counsel in the matter, Raman Preet Singh Bara, said.
In the first cabinet meeting chaired by Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, he asked for a survey of the prices of sand and how to provide the sand at cheaper rates. At the meeting, it was also decided to allow landowners to do mining in their respective areas.
The plea termed the decision a “political gimmick”, further submitting that state’s action in taking the decision of allowing “free mining” is totally illegal and arbitrary and the same is against the law laid down in various judgments.
The assembly polls in Punjab are just about two to three months away and the ruling party, in order to gain political mileage, is resorting to policy of free sand to the public, which is legally and practically unfeasible, the firm told the court, adding that the move would lead to an environmental disaster.
