The Haryana government has decided to auction minor mineral quarries in the state and grant short term permit for the same for a period up to December 31. Auction for minor mineral boulder, gravel and sand quarries in Panchkula, Ambala and Yamuna Nagar districts will be conducted in the office of the Panchkula assistant geologist on August 18. Minor mineral sand quarries of Kurukshetra, Karnal, Faridabad and Palwal districts will be put to auction in the office of the Faridabad assistant mining engineer the same day. On the other hand, quarries of minor mineral, road metal and masonry stone mines of Bhiwani district, stone and sand mines, Mahendergarh and Slate stone mines in Rewari district, will be put to auction in the office of Bhiwani assistant geologist on August 20. A government spokesman said that to avoid damage to the surface of the land under which sand deposits occur by indiscriminate quarrying, at a time quarrying will be restricted to a maximum of four villages. A permit holder will not carry out mining operations in any reserved or protected forest or any area prohibited by and under the law, or prohibited by any authority without obtaining prior permission in writing from such authority or officer authorised in this behalf. Moreover, no mining operation will be allowed in the urbanisable zone of area notified by the town and country planning department. Further mining in the agriculture zone of the area notified by department will be allowed only after obtaining prior permission, the spokesman said.