More than 50% of Jashpur mines face closure

Baikunthpur: As many as 50% mines and brick kilns in Jashpur district of north Chhattisgarh are on the verge of being declared illegal and might be closed as the operators have not submitted their mining plan for the next year. The last date for submission is March 28, 2016.


Official sources said Jashpur district has over 100 mines and brick kilns. These mines are of minor minerals like sand and stones. The mining department had issued notices to operators of the said mines. However, till Saturday only about 50% of the said mine operators and brick kiln owners had submitted their mining plan for the next year.

Mining plans have been mandatory in all states by Centre to effectively control environmental degradation because of uncontrolled mining in absence of a mining plan. Mine operators and brick kiln owners have, however, alleged that only one person has been authorized in the district to prepare the mining plans. Format of the mining plan has more than 100 pages. As a result, most mine operators and kiln owners avoid getting their mining plans prepared.