Punjab postpones auction of quarries

The Punjab government on Friday postponed the auction of mines,which was slated to take place on September 25. The state gave an undertaking to this effect to the Punjab and Haryana High Court during the hearing of a petition filed by one Darshan Singh alleging that the auction of sand and gravel quarries was being held against the norms and standard procedure.

Darshan Singh’s counsel Mansur Ali argued in the court that the government had failed to carry out the demarcation of land where the mining was to be permitted. He contended that the concerned authorities had also failed to come up with a site plan of all quarries. As a result,the possibility of mining being carried out on places other than auctioned could not be ruled out.

Ali averred that although the quantity of sand and gravel to be dug out was specified in the notice,there was no indication that officials of the mining department will be present at the site to prevent excess mining. Moreover,the notice specified auction of sand and gravel quarries,but it failed to specify which mines were to be auctioned for digging out sand,and which for gravel.

The government had also fixed the rates of minor minerals prior to the auction,which was neither feasible nor practical as there is no way of surmising the bid at which the hammer would fall.

Taking note of the accusations,a division bench of the court refused to allow the quarry auctions. The next date of hearing is on Octobter 9.