The officials sad the company for the first time has ventured into minor mineral exploitation and has operationalised four minor mineral blocks in the Jammu region.

This has ensured a regular supply of construction material like sand and boulders to various projects, including the construction of AIIMS, IIM, ring roads in Jammu and Srinagar, and works on the National Highway-44, they said.

Regarding the Kalakote mines, the mining department has been asked to conduct a safety audit through the Director-General, Mines Safety, Government of India, within three months, and rationalise excess labour from these mines to other minor minerals mines, the officials said.

Mehta also reviewed the functioning of the Parlanka Gypsum mines in Ramban district and directed allotment of additional blocks to J&K Minerals Limited for boosting gypsum extraction, which currently stands at 40,000 metric tonnes a month.

The chief secretary, while appreciating the efforts of the management for making the corporation self-reliant, asked it to explore possibilities of further mineral extraction in Jammu and Kashmir. “This will help to develop the mineral-based industries in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and create more employment in the region” he added.