National Mineral Policy 2006 - Department of Mines

Collectorate takes at least one or two days to make an entry in the Register 1 before passing onthe papers to the dealing hand who prepares the file for processing. He then puts it up to theDMO who passes an order for verification by a Mining Inspector. The Mining Inspector maytake one week to a fortnight to verify if the area applied for is available for mining, if it hasbeen prospected earlier, whether there is evidence of the existence of minerals, etc. He alsoverifies details of the land applied for from the relevant revenue records available in theoffice of the concerned Revenue Officer under the District Collector. He then submits thereport to the DMO, routing it through the Sub-divisional Mining Officer, if any, dependingon the route prescribed by the District Collector and the DMO.2.7 The examination of the report in the office of the DMO starts with the dealing handgiving his views with reference to the rules and regulations, government instructions, andprecedents, taking at least one week in the process. He then puts up the file to the SectionOfficer (SO) who takes another two to three days before the matter is placed before theDMO. Though there are specific provisions in the MMDR Act and the Rules as well asgovernment guidelines and instructions on how to process an application for RP/PL/ML, thequality of examination of a particular application depends on the dealing hand and thesubordinate officials. The time taken in the process depends on the attitude of the personsinvolved in the exercise. Assuming that the DMO is satisfied with the proposal, he will put upthe file to the District Collector for his order before the matter is sent to the state government.With the approval of the District Collector, the DMO transmits the proposal to the DMG.2.8 In the Directorate, the application along with the district level report passes throughthe full chain of dealing assistant, SO, and the Deputy or Assistant Director before it reachesthe DMG. Even after the field functionaries, including the DMO and the District Collector,have found a particular proposal in order, the matter is scrutinised de novo with reference tothe rules and regulation, procedures, and precedent at the state government’s DMG.2.9 If the office of the Head of the Department is amalgamated with the SecretariatDepartment, the file itself moves from the DMG to the Deputy Secretary or Joint Secretaryand onwards to the Secretary of the Department. If every official is prompt in disposal andthe proposal is in order, it takes a minimum of three months before the file reaches the1 This process of entry of receipts in a register is repeated in the office of the DMG and again in the Secretariat(in the case of non-amalgamated office), leading to delays at each level.53