Jaipur: State’s Department of Mines and Geology (DMG) began a month-long statewide campaign on Aug 2 to recover pending fines and tighten oversight in the mining sector. The department’s director, Deepak Tanwar, issued strict instructions to all mining engineers and assistant mining engineers, calling for immediate action and accountability.Under the 30-day drive, officers have been directed to recover fines listed in various inspection reports. Daily progress reports must be submitted to the vigilance wing through respective zonal heads.Serious irregularities were identified in the Department of Mines and Geology Online Monitoring System (DMGOMS). According to a senior official, “Some engineers made illegal stock entries amounting to lakhs of tonnes without any actual mineral dispatch, causing substantial revenue loss. Less than 2% of the total penalties mentioned in inspection reports had been recovered so far.”The misuse of e-Ravanna permits and weighbridges also raised concerns. In several cases, vehicles were shown as weighed and confirmed within just two minutes, despite routes covering up to 40 kilometres. Empty weighbridges were found issuing valid permits, and in some instances, permits from closed mines were misused to transport illegally mined minerals.Tanwar instructed officials to carry out online verification of weighbridge data and initiate action against leaseholders and weighbridge operators involved in malpractice. “Any further lapses will result in disciplinary action against the responsible mining officers,” the directive warned.The department also found that some officers, while preparing inspection reports against illegal mining, failed to cancel the corresponding mining leases. In some cases, proceedings under the Land Revenue Act (LR Act) were initiated despite leases still being active—an attempt seen as misleading higher authorities. DMG clarified that such action must only follow formal lease cancellation. Officers have now been asked to cancel non-compliant leases promptly, take possession, and proceed with auctions. Long-pending LR Act files in several offices have also drawn criticism.
Mining dept on month-long drive to recover fines, verify data | Jaipur News
