Shimla: BJP state spokesperson and MLA D.S. Thakur has questioned the transparency of mining lease allocations under the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, alleging serious irregularities in the auction process and collection of government revenue. He demanded that the state government issue a comprehensive white paper detailing mining lease allocations, beneficiaries, land allotments and revenue collection across all districts.
Raising concerns over a mining lease involving 165 bighas of government land in Chamba district, Thakur said the matter had already been brought up in the Legislative Assembly in March 2025. During the discussion, the Industries Minister had informed the House that the application for the lease dated back to 2015 and a Letter of Intent (LoI) was issued in 2016.
The minister had also stated that since 2018, the practice of granting mining leases for more than five bighas of government land without an auction had been discontinued. Questioning the subsequent developments in the case, Thakur sought clarification on how the pending application was dealt with and under which regulatory provisions further approvals were granted. He demanded that the government make all relevant records public.
Referring to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, the BJP MLA said Himachal Pradesh had 487 registered mining leases as of March 2023, including 38 for major minerals and 449 for minor minerals. Chamba district accounted for nine of these leases.
He demanded that the government disclose the number of new mining leases approved since December 2022, the total government land allocated for mining activities, the number of leases granted through auctions and the revenue generated from each allocation.
Thakur also expressed concern over the CAG’s observations regarding revenue collection and regulatory compliance. He pointed out that during the audit period from 2018-19 to 2022-23, the CAG had identified a shortfall of approximately ₹86.38 lakh in contributions to the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) from selected mining leases in Bilaspur, Shimla and Una districts.
He questioned what action had been taken to recover the outstanding amount and whether responsibility had been fixed for the lapses highlighted in the audit report.
Referring to the state government’s Economic Survey, Thakur said mining revenue during 2024-25 stood at approximately ₹354 crore. However, he sought clarity on the actual revenue collected against the targets set by the government and the outstanding amounts pending under royalties, penalties and other liabilities.
Demanding greater accountability, Thakur called for a district-wise white paper covering mining lease allocations, beneficiaries, government land allotted, auction procedures, official approvals and revenue collected.
He further demanded an impartial investigation wherever violations of rules or losses to the state exchequer were established, along with appropriate action against those found responsible.
Thakur said the government must explain whether mining lease allocations had been made strictly in accordance with established rules and ensure transparency in the management of the state’s mineral resources.
