Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday told the Legislative Assembly that a fresh set of regulations will soon be rolled out across the state to crack down on illegal minor mineral excavation. The announcement came alongside a package of enforcement measures including Electronic Total Station (ETS) surveys, drone surveillance, high-tech monitoring systems, and legal amendments.

Key Developments in the Assembly

Bawankule was responding to a calling attention motion tabled by MLA Sunil Prabhu. Legislators Sudhir Mungantiwar, Arjun Khotkar, Raju Todsam, Raju Khare, Bhaskar Jadhav, and Pravin Datke also participated in the debate, signalling broad legislative concern over the issue.

The minister specifically referenced a controversial mining case in Virar, Palghar district, where circle officers had inspected the site following complaints received on the government portal. A murder linked to a dispute at the site prompted police action — eight of nine accused have since been arrested, while one remains at large. Severe legal provisions, including those related to organised crime, have been invoked in the case.

Acting on an order from the State Human Rights Commission, authorities have shut down the concerned mine and stone crusher unit. An ETS measurement confirmed illegal excavation of 4,922 brass of minerals at the site, with the official report now on record.

Statewide Surveillance Architecture

To systematically expose the scale of illegal mining, the government has ordered a statewide ETS survey. A high-tech war room is being set up under the Konkan Divisional Commissioner, in collaboration with RailTel Corporation, to enable round-the-clock surveillance of excavation activities.

Priority districts — Raigad, Palghar, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Ratnagiri — will receive a multi-agency panel within the next six months to launch ETS and drone surveys. The programme will subsequently be extended to Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and other mining-affected districts.

Legislative Committee and Legal Amendments

A committee of Members of the Legislative Assembly will be constituted to draft comprehensive amendments to minor mineral rules and laws. Based on the committee's recommendations, revised regulations and legal amendments will be tabled in the House during the December session. The committee will also deliberate on mandatory deposit conditions for filing appeals, the minister added.

Bawankule underlined that the government's core objective is to strictly curb illegal mineral extraction, plug revenue leakages, and build a transparent, accountable administrative system.

Sahyadri Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Conservation

In a separate development during the same session, Forest Minister Ganesh Naik assured the Assembly that detailed deliberations will be held with all public representatives, villagers, and stakeholders to balance wildlife conservation with the concerns of communities living near the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) — Maharashtra's only tiger reserve in the Western Ghats.

The reserve currently covers 555 villages across the Kolhapur, Chiplun, Sawantwadi, and Sahyadri Tiger Reserve divisions. Senior officials have been directed to re-evaluate the inclusion of villages that do not fall under natural tiger corridors. A special meeting with local representatives will be organised in Kolhapur soon, and recommendations will be forwarded to the Central Government thereafter.

Naik also announced plans for a new tiger reserve in the Vidarbha region and dedicated leopard conservation projects across Konkan, Western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Khandesh. Legislators Jayant Patil, Haroon Khan, Chandradeep Narke, and Aaditya Thackeray participated in this discussion.

With the December session set as the legislative deadline, all eyes will be on whether the proposed committee can deliver actionable amendments before the monsoon cycle — when illegal excavation activity historically peaks in Maharashtra's coastal and Ghats districts.