The review meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to assess the readiness of the Integrated Mining Surveillance System, marks a significant step toward modernising Jammu and Kashmir’s mining sector. The software is a robust digital platform that enables real-time monitoring of mining activities. It integrates e-Challan and e-Market systems, ensuring transparency and accountability. Yet, the challenge lies not in technology but in implementation, as illegal mining continues to flourish under the shadow of administrative collusion and political patronage.
Illegal mining has long plagued Jammu and Kashmir, especially in regions such as Kathua, where even the mining mafia, allegedly from neighbouring Punjab, continues to operate with impunity. Despite periodic seizures of trucks, dumpers, and trolleys transporting illegally mined sand, gravel, and boulders, the scale of operations remains vast and largely unchecked. Every monsoon, the damage inflicted upon critical infrastructure-bridges, embankments, and roads-lays bare the environmental and economic toll of unregulated extraction. Exposed bridge pillars and eroded riverbeds are grim reminders that unchecked mining is not just a revenue loss but a direct threat to public safety.
The paradox is glaring. Even with rampant illegal mining, there remains an acute shortage of construction material across the UT. Prices of sand and gravel have skyrocketed, making essential construction materials unaffordable for the common man. This price surge exposes the deep-rooted nexus between the mining mafia, departmental insiders, and sections of the political and police establishment. As the CM rightly observed, “Illegal operations cannot persist without internal complicity.” The problem, therefore, is the absence of integrity and accountability within the system meant to enforce it.
If implemented sincerely, the introduction of IMSS has the potential to transform the situation significantly. Similar digital tools are already functional in several states, enabling online monitoring of vehicle movement, real-time data tracking, and swift identification of illegal transport. J&K must emulate these best practices by creating a comprehensive database of all vehicles legally engaged in mining operations. Every vehicle should have GPS-enabled tracking and be registered. An open dashboard that enforcement agencies can see should show where each vehicle is going. Any vehicle found carrying mining material without valid e-Challans should be seized immediately, and penalties must be imposed without bureaucratic delay or departmental leniency.
However, the success of such a system depends entirely on the willingness of the administration to act against vested interests. Past experiences offer little reassurance. Despite multiple policy announcements and reforms, enforcement has remained weak, with penalties often imposed on paper but not recovered in practice. Many of these cases have found their way to the High Court, where judicial intervention has repeatedly exposed the gaps in regulatory oversight. Therefore, the question is whether the Mining Department will implement the Chief Minister’s directives earnestly or entrenched interests will once again derail reform.
Illegal mining in Jammu and Kashmir is a double-edged sword-bleeding the exchequer of revenue while destroying the ecological balance. The daily loss of Government revenue runs into crores, money that could otherwise fund public welfare and infrastructure. At the same time, environmental degradation continues unabated, altering river courses, depleting groundwater tables, and destabilising fragile ecosystems. Without stringent enforcement, the region risks long-term damage that could take decades to reverse.
The Chief Minister’s proposal to integrate citizen participation through the IMSS-allowing complaints and evidence uploads via mobile applications-is a progressive step. It democratises monitoring and empowers the public to act as watchdogs. Yet, this will only work if the complaint system is transparent and responsive. Too often, citizen grievances vanish into bureaucratic limbo, with little accountability for follow-up action. A dedicated monitoring cell, as suggested by CM, must therefore operate independently with access to real-time data, tasked with swift verification and redressal. Practically, the issue of illegal mining is a governance challenge. The onus lies squarely on the Government to ensure that the mining policy is implemented in both letter and spirit. If the CM’s initiative is to succeed, it must break the long-standing nexus of corruption, muscle power, and departmental complicity that sustains illegal mining.
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