Tahsildars get 14 days to clear mining land NOCs, delays to go to Collectors automatically

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Principal Secretary, Mines and Geology, Mukesh Kumar Meena. File | Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri

Principal Secretary, Mines and Geology, Mukesh Kumar Meena has directed officials to strictly adhere to timelines for processing land No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for mining applications and eliminate pendency through OMEPS 2.0 (Online Mineral ePermit System 2.0).

Reviewing the implementation of the time-bound mechanism with Mines, Revenue and Forest officials through video conference, Mr. Meena said every application should be processed within the prescribed period and delays immediately escalated through the portal.

Under the revised procedure, the Tahsildar has 14 days from intimation to issue or reject an NOC. If no action is taken, the application is automatically escalated to the Joint Collector, who gets seven days. Further delay results in escalation to the District Collector, with another seven-day timeline. The portal alerts the Director of Mines and Geology at each stage.

Mr. Meena directed Joint Collectors and Revenue officials to monitor pending applications closely, and District Collectors to ensure compliance by Tahsildars. Wilful delay or negligence would attract responsibility, he said.

He also instructed Mines officials to scrutinise applications properly and submit area plans showing existing leases. Requests involving land within 500 metres of Reserved Forests should simultaneously be sent to District Forest Officers.

Officials from all 26 districts participated.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.