Trust gets projects worth Rs 1.5 cr okayed

Tribune News Service

Solan, November 22

The District Mineral Foundation Trust has approved development projects worth Rs 1.5 crore after one-and-a-half years of its formation.

The Trust was created in June 2017 to help the people affected by mining activities and it is chaired by the Solan Deputy Commissioner. At its recent meeting, it approved 17 out of 30 cases presented before it.

Mining officer Kulbhushan Kumar said three link roads, including the 1-km Seri-Zeri road, 700-m Giana road and 2.5-km Bhanjan-Chalog road, had been approved for Rs 36 lakh, Rs 11 lakh and Rs 58 lakh, respectively. All these roads are in the precincts of Ambuja Cements Limited’s Darlaghat plant, where residents have little access to roads.

He added that about seven to eight other projects involving works like providing water purifiers in government schools, constructing their protection walls or sports-related facilities had also been approved. The PWD has been directed to provide an estimate of such works. It was also decided to fund major IPH water supply schemes through this grant. The DC directed IPH officials to present a DPR of the major scheme proposed for Darlaghat before the Trust for approving the funds.

The funds take care of issues like drinking water supply through a centralised purification system, including facilities for drinking water, laying of water supply system, environmental protection and pollution control measures like checking air and dust pollution caused by mining operations. In case of minor minerals, 10 per cent of the royalty paid to the government is being contributed to this Trust.