Andhra Pradesh sets 14-day limit for mining land clearance decisions

Andhra Pradesh has directed revenue officials to follow strict deadlines for processing land No Objection Certificates required for mining applications. Principal Secretary, Mines and Geology, Mukesh Kumar Meena issued the instructions while reviewing implementation of the time-bound process with Mines, Revenue and Forest officials through a video conference. Under the revised procedure, a Tahsildar has 14 days from notification to issue or reject an NOC.

If no action is taken, the application is automatically escalated through the Online Mineral ePermit System, or OMEPS 2.0, to the Joint Collector. The Joint Collector then has seven days to act. Any further delay sends the application to the District Collector, who is given another seven days.

The portal also alerts the Director of Mines and Geology at each stage of the escalation. Meena directed Joint Collectors and revenue officials to monitor pending applications closely. District Collectors were told to ensure that Tahsildars comply with the prescribed timelines, while officials were warned that wilful delay or negligence would attract responsibility.

Mines officials were also instructed to scrutinise applications properly and submit area plans identifying existing leases. Applications involving land within 500 metres of Reserved Forests must be sent simultaneously to the relevant District Forest Officer. Officials from all 26 districts took part in the review.

The government’s stated objective is to eliminate pending applications through the online system and ensure that decisions on mining-related land clearances are made within the specified sequence of deadlines.