Farmers need no permission for soil mining: UP govt

The Uttar Pradesh government has given a major relief to farmers by announcing that they do not need permission to mine clay from pits for private use. A state government spokesperson said the decision was taken in view of farmers' complaints of extortion and harassment by the local police and district administration.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently expressed displeasure over the harassment of farmers and also gave strict instructions to officers to take action against those harassing farmers engaged in clay mining.

Farmers in various districts have filed a complaint with the state government after the chief minister abolished license fees for general land mining to prevent harassment of farmers and illegal extortion for private use from their own fields, a spokeswoman said.

The requirement to obtain a permit from the Department of Geology and Mining has also been dropped. Farmers should apply for land mining through the Mine Mitra portal. The concerned departments, district administration and police department have been informed about the new regulation, he said.

Dr. Roshan Jacob, Secretary, Department of Geology and Mining, said, “As per Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's directives, royalty for general land mining has been reduced to zero. As a result, the requirement for farmers to obtain a permit from the Ministry to extract land for their private use was also removed.

Changes have been made in the rules to ensure transparency in land mining and for this purpose 'Mine Mitra Portal' has been launched. Farmers now had to apply for soil mining to a depth of 100 cubic meters only through the Mine Mitra portal. Once registered, mining and shipping were automatically allowed, she said.

The district administration and the police department have been informed about the instructions. Despite registering on the Mine Mitra portal, the local police refused to recognize it and harassed the farmers.

In response, the Secretary, Department of Geology and Mines issued express orders stating that local police and constables on Dial UP 112 must obtain permission from the District Magistrate and be present to check any legal/illegal movement of earth or sand. Further instructions were issued by the ministry to ensure the transparency of mining, the spokeswoman said.