Delay in granting environmental clearance leaves gravel lease allottees in lurch in Jodhpur

Jodhpur, June 10 (PTI) Delay in granting environmental clearance for gravel leases appears to have turned out to be a boon for the illegal mining trade and a bane for the administration and police in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district.

Despite auctioning 24 leases, the highest in the state so far, just three have succeeded in obtaining environmental clearance, while the remaining 21 lease allottees are yet to receive the same, sources said.

One of the allottees said on condition of anonymity that most of the leases were located in Luni, as he attributed the delay in granting environmental clearance to political influence and a nexus between the mafia, mining officials, and the police.

“We spent a huge amount in obtaining the lease, but we are yet to begin the operation in the absence of environmental clearance,” he said.

When asked about the delay, mining engineer (Jodhpur) Bhagwan Singh said the responsibility of granting environmental clearance rests with the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).

“We have already auctioned 24 leases. One lease is operational after the grant of environmental clearance, while two more have been sanctioned, which will also begin work following the completion of formalities,” Singh said. Rajasthan has 122 gravel mining leases, with the highest in Jodhpur.

The Marwar Building Construction Contractors Union submitted a memorandum to the Jodhpur district administration on Monday, demanding immediate grant of environmental clearance to all the auctioned leases so that gravel is easily made available to the consumers at a reasonable price.

“The mining mafia is charging Rs 25,000-30,000 for a dumper of gravel, putting an unwarranted financial burden on the consumers,” Dayal Ram Prajapat, president of the union, said.

Apart from the financial burden on consumers, the rashly driven gravel dumpers have also claimed lives in recent times, sources said.

Last month, a police constable named Sunil Bishnoi was crushed to death in Jodhpur by a gravel dumper, triggering claims that the gravel mafia was operating fearlessly in the absence of legal trade.

"We filed 35 FIRs in the past six months, arrested 35 persons, seized over 76 vehicles, and about 5,000 tonnes of stockpile,” DCP (West) Rajarshi Raj Verma said.

Displeased by incidents of attacks on policemen by the gravel mafia, even the Rajasthan High Court has directed the CBI to initiate an investigation into the cases.

The high court also directed the CBI to take the help of CRPF or any other competent agency in its investigation and ordered the state agencies to assist the CBI in its probe. PTI COR ARI ARI