Gandhinagar, 29 March, 2012

Gujarat government today announced a relief scheme for lease holders of minor mineral mining who failed to pay royalty. Under the newly announced scheme, interest on pending royalties would be waived off if all dues will be paid during the said period of the scheme. Minor minerals include materials like gravel, black trap, stone, sand and soil.

The scheme intends to recover long pending dues worth Rs 332 crore. The scheme will be applicable to all cases relating to pending recoveries of royalty of minor minerals as on December 31, 2011.

Announcing the scheme in the state assembly on Thursday, Saurabh Patel, minister of state for industries and mines said that the scheme will not be applicable to major minerals.

“In state, there are about 5876 such default cases, which includes small lease holders, miners, general consumers, farmers and small brick makers. The defaulters will have a chance to apply for relief under this scheme between April 1, 2012 and September 30, 2012,” Patel said adding that, “with implementation of this scheme, all court cases will be withdrawn and the state government would be able to recover long pending dues,” Patel said.

The scheme has provisions for settlement in cases relating to unauthorised mining, transportation, storage of such minor minerals in the leased out area, on condition of payment of single royalty. While in case of the unauthorised mining, transportation, storage of such minor minerals in the non-leased area, case will be settled by payment of double royalty.