Punjab government unveiled new mining policy to make auctioning more transparent and check the pilferage.
Announcing the new policy, state industries minister Manoranjan Kalia said, ?the new mining policy aims at bringing more transparency in the bidding process with an effort to curb the pilferage and contain the escalation of the market rates of the sand?.
The state government has also decided to hold e-auction for the contract period for three years for quarries having an area less than five hectares. For the quarries having an area more than five hectares, environmental clearance was required, said the minister.
Kalia informed that the state has also decided to hold e-auction of the sale points in the cities while fixing the maximum retails price of the sand has been taken. To check the illegal mining in the state, the minister said that the joint action committees at the district levels have been constituted which would closely monitor the entire process.
The minister said that if the contractor charged more than the prescribed rate or done excessive mining then he would be booked under under Essential Commodities Act. He also said that royalty would be given to Panchayats at the rate of R20 per tonne which has been increased from R10 per tonne.
Punjab has also taken a decision to abolish the tax levied on the sand by the excise department, but the entry tax would be imposed on the sand coming from outside the state, said Kalia. The leveling of land etc., within the village boundary, if required, would be granted by the deputy commissioner of the distinct concerned in consultation with the industries department, he said.