Stern action will be taken against illegal mining in Rajasthan: Vasundhara Raje

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today said stern action will be taken against illegal mining and those running cement plants on Gochar-Bhoomi (pasture land) in Chittorgarh district and in its 10 km periphery including fort and famous Vijay Stambh monument.

Intervening in a debate in the Assembly on illegal mining, she said the government was concerned and worried about illegal mining in Chittorgarh.

Stern action would be ensured against illegal mining and those running cement plants on Gochar-Bhoomi (pasture land) in Chittorgarh district, she said.

Earlier, in his reply the State Minister for Mines Rajkumar Rinwa said the Rajasthan High Court had banned the mining in the 10 km periphery of Chittorgarh due to historic importance of the city and monuments but the previous Congress government had moved to the Supreme Court with an SLP seeking relaxation on the ban.

The previous Congress government had also brought a scientific report on the matter from Roorkee based institute that there was cracks in the monuments due to nuisance of monkeys and tourists, MoS said. The state government should set up a sub-committee of cabinet to investigate the factual situation, he added.

In his supplementary question, BJP MLA Chandrabhan Singh 'Akya"alleged that Birla Cement Works, Grasim Industries, Wonder Cement and Lafarge cement were given mining lease.

On another question by BJP MLA Rao Rajendra Singh, who put the Panchayati Raj Minister Surendra Goyal in the dock over decline in MNREGA's budgetary supoort, Home Minister G C Kataria intervened informing the house that the government was making efforts with Centre for use the total funds provided under MNREGA by 15 per cent convergence.

Kataria accused the previous Congress government for showing slackness in convergence of funds under NREGA as the funds drastically left unused and the total budget which was Rs 7337.43 cr in 2008-9 reduced to just Rs 3,450.14 crore in 2014-15.

Rao alleged that because of non-utilisation of funds, the infrastructure and permanent structures in the state were not built up during previous Congress rule and labourers in villages could not get their right to work under MNREGA.

Public Health and Engineering Department Minister Kiran Maheshwari assured the house that the government would take all measures to provide potable water in far flung areas of the state by transportation as an alternative method if the other means of handpump, bore well or pipeline was not feasible.

She was replying to a question of BJP MLA Narayan Singh Deval.

After question hour, the House condoled the death of Ramsunder Das, former CM of Bihar and Rajasthan's ex-mla Dularam and members observed two minutes of silence after the Speaker Kailash Meghwal made references on them.