PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 8 -- The district administration is preparing to take action against 170 brick kilns over long-pending non-payment of regulatory fees. District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma has instructed senior mining officer KK Rai to issue notices to all defaulting kiln operators and take strict action against those who fail to clear their dues, officials said.

Around 550 brick kilns are currently operational in Prayagraj district. All are mandated to pay regulatory fees based on their scale of operations and prevailing government norms.

Senior mining officer Rai said that 170 kiln operators have not deposited the prescribed fees for a long period. "The regulatory fee varies from place to place, and the pending dues run into several ...