Mumbai, April 8 The Maharashtra government has given district collectors the power to grant mining permits for small-scale excavations to curb illegal mining and irregularities in the sector, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Wednesday.
"The government has assigned powers to district collectors to grant permits for mining between 500 and 2,000 brass and has decided to amend the rules accordingly," he said in a statement.
The government made this decision amid concerns over large-scale illegal excavation and unauthorized stone crushers across the state, with the aim of improving transparency and accountability in the process.
MLA Sunil Prabhu raised the issue recently in the state assembly, following which the minister held a meeting at Mantralaya focusing on Thane, Raigad, and Palghar districts. District collectors and senior revenue officials attended the meeting.
The government had previously processed permits for smaller-scale mining at the taluk or sub-divisional level, where authorities received several complaints of irregularities and corruption. The government shifted these powers to the district collector level to address these issues.
The government decided to set up a dedicated cell under district collectors to scrutinize applications and grant permits once a year in a structured manner.
The minister warned officials of strict action and directed authorities to submit proposals to stop salary increments of tehsildars and sub-divisional officers found complicit in allowing mining without proper documents.
"The government will not tolerate malpractices," Bawankule said.
He said the government did not intend to deny permissions but aimed to ensure compliance with the law, and added that authorities would not allow projects that damaged the environment, including hill cutting.
The government decided to expand the Pune model of digital tracking across the state, including in Thane, Palghar, and Raigad districts, to improve transparency.
The minister ordered immediate surveys of 90 mines and said authorities would impose strict penalties and initiate criminal action if they found discrepancies.
District collectors deployed special flying squads to curb illegal night-time excavation and prevent revenue losses.
These measures are aimed at strengthening oversight and checking illegal mining activities in the state.