Arun Kumar Singh at his office. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Singh began his career as subdivisional officer Seraikela and has been district magistrate, what is called deputy commissioner in Jharkhand, of Jehanabad, Nalanda, Hazaribagh and Deoghar. The alumnus of Central School, Dehra Dun, is known to take people along with him in any project.

As Jehanabad DC, he concentrated on improving the literacy rate and was successful in catapulting the district from 36th rank to the 16th.

As Nalanda DM, he changed the route of the annual religious processions of Hindus and Muslims from a narrow road passing through sensitive areas to a wide road called Rahe-Aman-Shaanti Path in 1999, putting an end to annual tension.

It was during his tenure as Deoghar DC that many tourism development projects were carried out in the district. Originally from Rajasthan, Singh is also credited with drafting the Jharkhand Industrial policy during his stint as director of industries in 2001.

Though slightly disheartened due to the slow pace of implementation of the ambitious policy, Singh is optimistic that the policy will prod the state towards change.

He spoke to Anupam Sheshank on the highs and lows of being the secretary of the crucial mines and geology department.

lThe state has rich reserves of minerals. What is the department doing to tap the resources?

Jharkhand is indeed a mineral rich area, with 37 per cent of the total minerals of India found here. The state ranks first in the production of coal, mica, kyanite, and copper in India. It has the maximum deposits of iron ore in the country. In short, the state has the right resources for industrialisation.

Our aim is to promote mineral-based industries because they not only provide employment for the local populace, but also generate more revenue, which can be pumped into rural development. We are also looking into the prospects of exploring coal-bed methane, gold, copper and other base metals, besides precious, semi precious and decorative stones. There are enough minerals in the state to change the fate of the people. We are trying to ensure the reserves are used for the welfare of the society.

One of the initiatives we have taken is to set up the Jharkhand Mineral Resources Development Council (JMRDC), which will conduct surveys to locate and assess the quality of mineral resources. The Cabinet has already approved Rs 16.5 crore for this purpose and the work should be complete in three years. We also plan to make the department more result oriented and so the focus has shifted to training employees and officials. We are planning to get the latest equipment for the geological directorate and the many so that private and government agencies can make use of the testing facilities.

lOne problem is that most of the mineral reserves are under protected forests. Getting a mining lease and land therefore involves a complicated and long process. This is a common complaint voiced by investors? What steps are being taken to speed up the process?

Certain minerals like iron ore, bauxite, copper, gold, lead, manganese, zinc, coal, fall in the Scheduled 1 category, which require the sanction of Union government for granting lease.

Once the lease is cleared, comes the question of land.

In the case of private land, the investor can enter into an agreement with the land-owner and start mining. But if it is government land, there are other considerations involved.

There are two types of government land, forest and non-forest. Getting clearance for mining on forest land is a complicated process. In case of reserve forests, the company has to give double the area as compensation, besides the cost of the existing plantation.

To save time, we have decided to set up a land bank so that investors can easily be provided land to start their factories and plants. We have requested a meeting with development commissioner to decide on this policy.

We also want to set up an industrial area, exclusively for mineral-based industries. The government will be responsible for building roads and developing power and water infrastructure. Industrialists will be handed over an estate with the best infrastructure. For example, we may acquire 1,000 acres of land and give 10 companies 100 acres each.

Another possibility is to give the forest department land as compensation. We can also plant trees on the land so that the readymade forests can be given to the department in exchange of reserved forest land with mineral reserves.

lWhy has the Union government not cleared a single mining lease in the recent past?

Many mining leases are waiting for the Union government?s nod. We have asked the officials to speed up the process. The government has raised a few queries, which we are in the process of clarifying.

lDoesn?t that put off investors?

Look, we want investors to set up plants in the state and not just exploit the resources. We do giving priority to those who are interested not only in mining but also in value addition and who wish to set up plants and industries. But they are in a Catch-22: unless they get the lease, they cannot be assured of the raw materials, hence they do not want to risk pumping in money into a plant.

The Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation (JSMDC) could be a way out. If it can be put back on the rails, it can supply the raw material so that investors do not have to wait till they get the mining lease. We are also trying to pare down the procedures and make them simpler for investors.

lWhat is the department doing to check illegal mining?

The government will come up with the Jharkhand Mineral Rules to prevent illegal mining, transportation and storage in 10 days. Right now, we do not have any powers to crack down on illegal mining. We can also keep a tab on illegal mining with the help of remote sensing facilities.

The Jharkhand space application centre and remote sensing centre and the geology directorate are working out ways to monitor mining through remote sensing. 4

lComing back to the JSMDC, what is the state of affairs there?

Well, not very good. It has leases for only a handful of mines and the infrastructure is grossly inadequate.

It recently entered a joint venture with Usha Martin, Limited. We are assessing what benefits can come from this tie-up. The JSMDC has a lease for Banskupi mines in Deoghar. We are trying to improve productivity there so that the corporation itself can provide facilities to the investors. The government will not mind granting lease to a state corporation as the profits can be channelled into the rural development schemes.

The JSMDC should become an active player. If it has the maximum leases, at least in the beginning, the supply of raw material will not be a handicap for a plant. If it has the lease for coal, iron ore, bauxite, it can supply the material to a firm till it gets a lease of its own.

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