Separate dept to handle mining operations: Himachal CM

Sukhu said dredging to remove accumulated silt, sand, gravel and debris from riverbeds was currently being carried out through the forest department

Turning to mining to boost the cash-strapped government’s revenue, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday announced in the assembly that a separate department would be created to handle mining operations and a new policy will be framed for river dredging.

Sukhu said Himachal had significant potential to generate revenue from the sector and move towards self-reliance. (ANI Video Grab)

Responding to a question by BJP MLA Surender Shourie on dredging the Beas and its tributaries, Sukhu said dredging to remove accumulated silt, sand, gravel and debris from riverbeds was currently being carried out through the forest department. A separate department would bring all mining-related activities under one roof and could generate up to ₹3,000 crore in revenue, he said.

Sukhu cited Uttarakhand, which earned around ₹300-400 crore from mining, and said Himachal had significant potential to generate revenue from the sector and move towards self-reliance. He added that the state was discussing regulatory changes with the Centre.

Industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said dredging and mining were distinct processes and the government would formulate a new dredging policy. Of around 324 identified sites across Himachal, forest clearance has been secured for only five or six, he said.

Opposition members questioned the handling of extracted material and revenue generated from dredging. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur alleged that material was being extracted from the Beas using machinery at night and demanded details about where the material went, raising suspicion of a scam. In response, the industries minister stated that silt accumulated continuously at dam sites and that not all material extracted during dredging was usable.