Loss worth crores due to illegal mining in MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan's constituency Budhni

BHOPAL: Serious irregularities on the part of government officials have caused revenue loss of several crores due to " illegal mining" in Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's constituency and areas around it, a report prepared by the local authorities says.

The report mentions illegal mining into forest reserves, violation of environment and labour laws, lack of government oversight mechanism and illegal use of explosives for quarrying in Sehore district, which includes Chouhan's constituency Budhni, about 100 kms from here.

The findings, which are the outcome of a month-long special drive carried out by district administration which ended early this year, recommends immediate action against the violators and cancellations of licenses for operating mines in the area illegally.

"In Budhni tehsil, officials have found mining activities in 250 meters radius of forest reserves. It is clear that the Supreme Court directions have been violated (which bars quarrying around 250 mts of forest) and sites were sanctioned illegally for mining inside the forests. Illegal mining is on in the area," it said recommending strict action against people responsible for it.

The report, which was prepared by a joint collector of Sehore, has been submitted to the Madhya Pradesh Government for necessary action.

It has recommended strict action against labour department officials for their "shoddy work" in checking violation of labour laws.

The report, a copy of which is with PTI, says that crusher owners have used explosives without informing the Mining department. "Irregularities have been noticed in issuing No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the use of explosives. Strict action is recommended against all those responsible for it," it said.