SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has said that a total of 803 stone crushers and hot-mix plants are registered across the Union Territory, of which 674 are operational, even as it has intensified its crackdown on illegal mining through new surveillance technology and district-level task forces.
The figures were revealed in a written reply to a starred question tabled by MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania in the Legislative Assembly, seeking details of operational stone crushers, their environmental clearances, and the measures being taken against illegal units.
According to the Government, the operational stone crushers are spread across all districts, with Pulwama leading the list with 157 active units, followed by Budgam with 151, Jammu with 55, and Kathua with 40. The lowest number of operational units were reported in Reasi, Bandipora, and Shopian districts.
The Government clarified that after the enactment of Statutory Order 60 of 2021, the Department of Geology and Mining is primarily responsible for ensuring that raw materials are sourced legally for stone crushers and hot-mix plants. Licences for installing crusher units are issued by the concerned Deputy Commissioners after obtaining mandatory No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from departments including Jal Shakti, Revenue, Forest, Fisheries, Wild Life, Rural Development, and the local bodies. The Pollution Control Committee grants consent to operate, while environmental clearance is issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Environment Impact Assessment Authority (JKEIAA).
To regulate mining activities and prevent illegal operations, each district has a Multi-Departmental Task Force headed by the Deputy Commissioner, with members from the police, revenue, forest, irrigation, and mining departments. The Government said these task forces frequently inspect crusher units and act against violations under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, and the Jammu and Kashmir Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2016.
As part of its technological measures, the Department has developed an Integrated Mining Surveillance System (IMSS) in collaboration with the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG). The IMSS automatically detects suspicious activity or illegal extraction within 500 metres of mining boundaries and issues real-time alerts to district authorities for verification.
So far, the system has generated 114 alerts, of which 31 have been verified and uploaded on the portal. Eleven instances of illegal mining were confirmed, leading to the imposition and recovery of penalties from violators. The department has also introduced a Point of Sale (POS) mechanism for on-the-spot collection of fines, similar to the system used by the Traffic Department.
The reply further revealed that in February 2025, the District Mineral Officer of Budgam imposed a penalty of Rs 86,445 on M/S NKC Projects Pvt. Ltd for illegally extracting 300 metric tonnes of riverbed material from Nalla Shaliganga. The amount was recovered and deposited in the government treasury. The case is under examination for further action to curb such violations.
The Government said the regulation of stone crushers and mining activities is being strengthened through a combination of digital monitoring, institutional accountability, and legal enforcement, with an emphasis on sustainable and lawful extraction of minor minerals across Jammu and Kashmir.
