Chandigarh, Feb 19 (IANS) The Haryana government on Wednesday clarified the allegations by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda about the loss of Rs 5, 000 crore in illegal mining, saying that there is no mention of loss due in the CAG report.
Quoting the recent CAG report, Congress leader Hooda claimed that the total loss due to illegal mining was Rs 50, 000 crore during the 10-year stint of the BJP government.
A spokesman for the Mines and Geology Department said that upon verification of the fact it was found that the report in question pertains to 2019 and there is no mention of a loss of Rs 5, 000 crore due to illegal mining.
“The report has already been discussed in December 2022 in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). While there were some findings based on the geospatial survey of sand and gravel mines, no specific loss of Rs 5, 000 crore due to illegal mining or scam was identified by the CAG as alleged by Hooda, ” he said.
He added that since the methodology adopted by the CAG for the geospatial study was flawed, the findings based on it were refuted by the Mines and Geology Haryana Department during the discussion.
He said that the PAC had recommended improving the monitoring system to prevent illegal mining, adding that based on the recommendations of the PAC the department has already taken several steps to enhance the monitoring of mining activities.
“The department has replaced the old E-Rawana system with the new HMGIS portal, developed by NIC, which addresses all the flaws of the previous system. The new E-Rawana system is now integrated with CCTV cameras and weighbridges to curb illegal mining, ” he said.
He said that additionally, to track and monitor real-time vehicle locations, GPS-enabled vehicles have been integrated with the HMGIS portal in collaboration with HARSAC.
The Spokesman said both the district-level task force and the state-level task force are already in place to combat illegal mining.
“At present, all departments involved in the district-level task force are also maintaining vigil over incidents of illegal mining and the transportation of illegally mined minerals, ” he added.
He said the government has constituted the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau to curb illegal mining, adding that a standard operating procedure (SOP) has also been finalised to ensure coordination between the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau and the departments concerned.