PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has been left with Rs1.678 billion in outstanding dues linked to illegal mining, according to an audit report.
The report stated that the amount was recoverable from various defaulters as of July 2024, but the Mines and Mineral Development Department failed to take effective measures to recover the outstanding dues.
The audit authorities recommended that the department immediately recover the amount owed in connection with illegal mining and submit an update on the progress made in this regard.
The report also highlighted shortcomings in action against illegal mining. According to the audit, the Monitoring and Surveillance Unit issued 8,400 notices for violations, but only 5,275 of them were converted into FIRs.
As many as 3,125 notices had not been converted into FIRs by the time of the audit. The report noted that the lack of action on these notices resulted in the government being deprived of potential revenue.
The audit authorities called for effective action to recover the outstanding amount and address the cases pending against illegal mining activities.
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