Thane, February 9 In a crackdown on illegal mining, the Thane tehsildar has ordered FIRs against 108 developers, contractors, and landowners, and has ordered the recovery of outstanding penalties of nearly Rs 118 crore from them, officials said on Monday.
The order, issued on February 5, follows the non-payment of fines previously issued under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code to entities across Thane and Navi Mumbai for unauthorized minor mineral excavation.
Now, the administration is invoking provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, which allows for criminal prosecution. Circle officers have been given a deadline of Monday to report on the status of these FIRs, as per the order.
The administration has begun marking these outstanding amounts on the 7/12 land extracts (a crucial document for any landowner) of the accused to prevent any property transactions until the dues are cleared, the officials said.