Centre drafts new rules for sand mining

NEW DELHI, JUNE 2
Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday shot out a directive to the State governments to adopt a nation-wide uniform mechanism for regulating mining of minor minerals, that includes minimum mining lease of five years and minimum size of mine not less than five hectares.
The guidelines also addresses the ticklish issue of sand mining and other river bed mining, stressing that leases should be granted stretch wise and depth may be restricted to three metres or water level, whichever is less, and after working out the safety zones.
He has forwarded to them the guidelines evolved by his ministry in March for sustainable mining of minor minerals, suggesting that these should be incorporated in the mineral concession rules framed under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957.
Other recommendations of the group formed in the ministry with Environment Secretary as the chairman that Jairam suggested implementation are:
— Mandatory mine plans for minor minerals;
— A cluster approach to mines in case of smaller mine leases operating currently;
— Creation of a separate corpus for reclamation and rehabilitation of the mined-out areas;
— Mining below groundwater table should be based on hydro-geological reports; and
— Re-examination of classification of minerals into major and minor categories.