Jammu, Dec 18: The Jammu and Kashmir government has amended the rules governing concession, storage and transportation of minor minerals, making GPS-enabled vehicles, RFID registration and a valid e-Challan mandatory for mineral transportation across the Union territory, officials said on Wednesday.

The Mining Department has fixed January 26 as the deadline for ensuring GPS, RFID and e-Challan compliance for all mineral transportation, a move aimed at curbing large-scale illegal mining in the Union territory.

According to a notification issued by Mining Department Additional Chief Secretary Anil Kumar Singh, amendments have been made to the Jammu and Kashmir Minor Mineral Concession, Storage, Transportation of Minerals and Prevention of Illegal Mining Rules, 2016, under powers conferred by the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.

As per the revised rule 71, no mineral concessionaire — including mining lessees, licensees, permit holders, crusher unit holders and brick kiln unit holders — shall transport or cause transportation of minerals such as RBM, nallah muck, stone, boulders, sand, clay, crushed bajri and bricks without GPS-enabled vehicles registered with the department and carrying a unique RFID number, the notification said.

It further said that transportation of minerals will also require a valid e-Challan in Form ‘A’ bearing a QR code or watermark, generated through the department’s designated e-Challan web portal.

The government has also mandated that all vehicles and machinery engaged in extraction and transportation of minerals must be registered with the department and equipped with operational GPS tracking systems to ensure effective monitoring and compliance.

In addition, a GST-compliant invoice must be issued by the lessee, licensee, permit holder or crusher unit holder to the consignee or buyer for transportation of raw or processed minor minerals.

Officials said a pilot run of GPS-enabled mineral-carrying vehicles has been successfully conducted in Samba district and the department plans to extend GPS, RFID and e-Challan compliance to all mineral transportation across the Union territory by January 26, 2026, following an extensive awareness and enforcement campaign.

The department is also setting up Quick Response Teams (QRTs) at the district level, equipped with modern gadgets and logistics, to respond swiftly to incidents of illegal mining. Point-of-Sale (PoS) machines are being provided to enforcement agencies for on-the-spot digital challaning and compounding of violations, they added.

An Integrated Mining Surveillance System (IMSS), developed in collaboration with BISAG-N (Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics), has also been deployed. The system integrates GPS tracking, RFID, e-challan, weighbridge data and public grievance redressal on a real-time digital dashboard to enhance transparency and accountability in mining operations, officials said.

They said that 114 system-generated alerts were verified on the ground, leading to confirmation of 14 cases of illegal mining and imposition of penalties amounting to Rs 90 lakh.

For the financial year 2025–26, the department has set a revenue target of Rs 300 crore, including Rs 200 crore from minor minerals and Rs 100 crore from related activities. Revenues from major minerals are projected from 2026–27 following completion of the limestone auction process, officials added.

Shopian, Dec 18: A local court in Shopian has convicted a man in a five lakh rupee cheque dishonour case and ordered one year of simple imprisonment along with compensation to the complainant. The judgment was delivered on December 17 by the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Shopian, in a case titled Shahnawaz Ahmed Bhat versus Bashir Ahmed Bhat.

As per the judgment, the complainant Shahnawaz Ahmed Bhat had alleged that the accused Bashir Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Bongam Shopian, had issued a cheque of five lakh rupees in September 2018 towards a financial liability arising out of work they were undertaking together. The cheque was presented in the J&K Bank HR Shopian branch but was returned unpaid with the remark “Exceeds Arrangement.” The complainant later issued a demand notice, which the court found to have been duly served.

After a detailed trial involving multiple witnesses, the court held that the statutory requirements under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act had been fully met. The judgment notes that the accused failed to rebut the legal presumption regarding liability and could not prove that the cheque was lost or misused. The court concluded that the cheque had been issued in discharge of a legally enforceable debt.

The court sentenced the accused to simple imprisonment for one year and imposed a fine of ten thousand rupees. It further directed him to pay the cheque amount of five lakh rupees along with six percent interest from the date of issuance, in addition to fifty thousand rupees as compensation to the complainant.

The court also cancelled the bail bonds of the accused and ordered that he be taken into custody and lodged in District Jail Pulwama. [KNT]

Sopore, Dec 18: Panic gripped Shiva village on the outskirts of Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district after a leopard attacked a flock of sheep, killing at least seven and injuring many others.

An official said that the wild animal entered the sheep shed belonging to Showket Ahmad Dar during the intervening night and mauled several livestock. “Seven sheep were found dead on the spot, while seven others sustained grievous injuries,” he said.

The incident has triggered fear among residents, who have appealed to the Wildlife Department to deploy teams and set up cages in the area to capture the leopard before it causes further damage.

Meanwhile, a team from the Wildlife Department reached the village soon after the incident and launched a hunt to track and capture the wild animal—(KNO)