Illegal mining to be curbed with firm hand: Himachal CM

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Monday said illegal mining in the state would be curbed with a firm hand. He directed concerned officials to crackdown on illegal mining taking place in some areas of the state. Those involved in illegal act of mining would be dealt with sternly, he told officers of the Industries department here. Citing the example of "illegal mining" in Chakki Khud area on the Himachal-Punjab border, Singh said stern measures would be taken to stop such practices.

Underlining the need to create more job opportunities in the state, he said there was a need to set up a few big industries. Singh, however, added micro, medium and small-scale industries were the backbone of the economy. Barring the United States, all other nations were laying emphasis on setting up micro, medium and small-scale industries as these were labour-intensive and provided more jobs at less cost, he said. Alleging that the previous BJP regime fixed no norms for placement of Himachalis in industrial units, Singh said his government would ensure that 70 per cent of the jobs were given to locals. PTI