Chandigarh, Mar 31 (IANS): Decks have been cleared for the establishment of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), announced by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh earlier this month, to check illegal mining in Punjab.

To be headed by a senior police officer not below the rank of a Deputy Inspector General of Police, the ED will be set up in the Mining and Geology Wing of the Water Resources Department. It will also help in ramping up the state's revenues by curbing the menace of illegal mining.

A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said the ED would help in checking and stopping unauthorised movement of minor minerals within the state and at the interstate borders, in conjunction with Mining Department officials.

It will also facilitate prosecution of those indulging in illegal mining under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. Working closely with the mining wing, the ED will also check that those involved in sand and gravel business do not overcharge and adhere to the sale price ceiling prescribed in the mining policy.

The ED will have the mandate to develop strategies, measures and methods to effectively achieve its objectives in coordination with the Director Mining, Chief Engineers dealing with mining and district-level illegal mining enforcement committees under the Deputy Commissioners.

It will also develop actionable intelligence and coordinate with agencies of neighbouring states dealing with the issue of illegal mining.

The ED chief would be assisted by three SP-level officers in the head office, and each of the seven mining blocks -- whose numbers may vary, as per government policy -- would be headed by an officer not below the rank of a DSP.

Under its new mining policy, the Water Resources Department has been able to increase the revenue from mining almost seven to eight times. Large-scale police action, seizure of mining equipment and machinery, and imposition of heavy penalties have helped in achieving this goal, said the spokesperson.