Chairing the DISHA meeting of the district administration and various departments, he said illegal mining poses a serious risk to the foundations of vital infrastructure projects, including the Keerian Gadiyal bridge and the expressway corridor.
File Photo
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Wednesday issued strict instructions to the administration to curb illegal mining that is threatening the ecology of Kathua district in Jammu & Kashmir.
Chairing the DISHA meeting of the district administration and various departments, he said illegal mining poses a serious risk to the foundations of vital infrastructure projects, including the Keerian Gadiyal bridge and the expressway corridor.
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“These are prestigious projects of national importance, secured through the direct intervention and patronage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It would be a matter of shame if, for petty vested gains and individual business interests, these projects were allowed to erode and lose their functional value,” he said.
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The Minister directed the Senior Superintendent of Police and the District Mining Officer to furnish a report on the number of illegal mining cases registered so far.
He also questioned the reduction of fines on illegal miners — from the prescribed maximum of ₹50,000 to a nominal amount — which, he said, has emboldened offenders to continue their activities.
“When their stakes are high, they will not hesitate to pay a small fine,” he observed.
Dr. Singh asserted that anyone found involved in illegal mining, irrespective of political influence or official position, should face strict legal action and also be publicly named and shamed.
The Minister also expressed concern over the growing menace of drug addiction. He suggested the formation of a joint committee comprising district administration officials, police authorities, public representatives, and members of civil society to combat the problem at multiple levels.
Speaking on developmental projects, Dr. Singh said the Ujh Multipurpose Project — conceived nearly a century ago in the 1920s during the reign of the then Maharaja — has been revived, with a coordination working group now in place.
The project has received a boost with the involvement of the Home and Defence Ministries, which are keen to expedite work to help block infiltration routes through the Ujh river.
Once operational, the project will irrigate up to 90,000 hectares of land. Additionally, an alternative plan is being prepared jointly by the J&K, Punjab, and Central Governments to prevent surplus water from flowing into Pakistan.
The Minister announced that the last phase of the Shahpur Kandi Project, a national project revived after four decades with Prime Minister Modi’s intervention, will be completed by 15 September, enabling electricity generation.
He highlighted that the Industrial Biotech Park in Barnoti, the 11th such park in the country and the first in North India, will become functional within weeks under a public-private partnership model.
Addressing connectivity issues, Dr Singh said the long-standing demand for the Bala Sundri tunnel will be addressed as part of a road project from Lakhanpur to Doda via the Chattra Gala Tunnel, which will include this route. Once completed, travel time from Kathua to Billawar will be reduced to just 30–40 minutes.
Dr Singh also noted that Kathua is the first district to establish a family bunker system in border villages, covering around 2,000 families. An additional 1,048 bunkers have been proposed, taking the total to nearly 3,000. Other border areas are now adopting Kathua’s model.
The meeting was attended by MLA Jasrota, Rajiv Jasrotia, other MLAs from the district, and senior district administration officials.
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