JAIPUR: A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has created quite a stir in Rajasthan by exposing the lousy working of the mines department. The report claims that besides illegal mining, the state mines department is also responsible for financial irregularities on a large scale due to which Rajasthan has lost over Rs 100 crores in revenue. The report said the department did not use free technology to curb illegal mining though it had options, including remote sensing data from Google Earth.
The CAG report has identified illegal mining in 83.25 hectares in 122 cases using remote sensing data and GIS techniques. It was clear from the result that illegal mining is happening in nearly 34% mining leases. Inspection of 14 mining leases by the audit teams have found that illegal mining of 13.37 lakh metric tonnes of minerals has taken place, the cost of which is Rs 1 billion or Rs 11 crores.
The CAG report asserts that the department did not detect illegal mining due to non-use of modern technology and non-inspection of mining leases by the officials.