Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: The Goa government has made modifications to the Goa Minor Mineral Concession (Amendment) Rules, extending the lease period for quarrying from 10 to 30 years, allowing the use of minor minerals extracted during dredging, and significantly raising the fines and royalties that violators must pay.
The government has introduced rules aimed at streamlining and accelerating the permissions and processes associated with minor minerals. On March 10, the amendment was approved by the cabinet.
The amendment has extended the maximum allowable term for a quarrying lease from ten to thirty years.
Anybody who plans to bring any minor mineral into the State of Goa from outside the State of Goa must obtain permission from the Competent Authority and pay a transportation fee of Rs 1,500 per trip for vehicles with more than six wheels and Rs 800 per trip for vehicles with six wheels.
Minor minerals or minerals found during the dredging of water bodies can also be used commercially now with permission from concerned authorities.
The penalty for obtaining and transporting minor minerals without authorization has been raised from Rs 5,000 to Rs 5 lakh, along with a two-year jail sentence.
The amendment stipulates that those who mine or lift minor minerals illegally will be fined ten times the royalty payable on the mineral for the first offence and twenty times the royalty payable on the mineral for the second or subsequent offence.
According to Sawant, the Cabinet decision is anticipated to generate approximately Rs 200 crores in revenue for the government. He also mentioned that certain restrictions on who can participate in the auction have been lifted and the e-auction rules have been adjusted.
This important policy regarding the management of mining dumps was first approved by the Cabinet in September of last year.
At that time, it was declared that the government would hold a mineral auction on the property that corresponded to the cases the SIT was looking into. Additionally, for a five-year period, the former holders of mining leases who had paid royalties were permitted to auction the dump.
