Jalna: Authorities Issue Show-Cause Notices To ICT Institute, Steel Mill For Illegal Soil Mining

The authorities in Maharashtra’s Jalna district have issued show-cause notices to an educational institute and a steel mill for allegedly illegally extracting murum soil, a construction material, an official said on Thursday. 

The Jalna campus of the state-funded Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) was found to have extracted “150 brass of murum from gut numbers at Mauj Siraswadi, Parsi Tekdi”, according to a notice issued by the local tehsildar. 

The tehsildar has said that the royalty and fine add up to Rs 9.6 lakh and asked the institute to explain why the amount should not be recovered from it. 

A steel factory has been issued a notice for allegedly mining “2,500 brass of murum” and the royalty and fine work out to Rs 1.47 crore. The company has also been told to give reasons why it should not be penalised.  

The action followed a complaint by a local female Congress worker. A revenue department inspection confirmed the alleged violations, after which the tehsildar issued the show-cause notices, said officials.