Now in Chhattisgarh, stricter action than ever will be taken against those involved in illegal mineral excavation, transportation and storage. Under the initiative of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai and his strict administrative stance, the state government has made comprehensive amendments in the minor mineral rules. After the approval of the Council of Ministers, the new rules have come into force. The objective of these changes is to effectively stop illegal mining, increase revenue and ensure scientific and transparent use of mineral resources.
Chhattisgarh The biggest change has been made in the fine imposed on illegal mineral transportation and excavation. Now in any case the settlement amount will not be less than Rs 25 thousand. In cases of illegal transportation, a settlement fee of Rs 2,000 per tonne will have to be paid. Apart from this, the full value of the mineral being transported illegally will also be recovered separately.
For example, if a vehicle illegally transports 35 tonnes of mineral, then it will have to pay only Rs 70 thousand as conciliation fee and the value of the mineral separately. At the same time, even if illegal sand is transported by tractor, it will be mandatory to pay a minimum mitigation fee of Rs 25 thousand and the value of the sand.
The Chhattisgarh government has also ensured that vehicles caught in illegal mining cannot be easily used again for crime. Now, before the delivery of the seized vehicle, machine or other material, a security amount ranging from Rs 50 thousand to Rs 3 lakh will have to be deposited in the concerned court, depending on the type of vehicle. Only after this the vehicle can be handed over.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, the government has also simplified the rules for excavation license to speed up development works. For government construction works, the limit of excavation area has been increased from 1 hectare to 2 hectares, while the period of license has been increased from 2 years to 3 years. This will provide sufficient minerals for construction works and will promote systematic mining.
Chhattisgarh State Mineral Exploration Trust-2025 has also been established for scientific exploration of minerals and development of infrastructure. Now 2 percent of the royalty received from minor minerals will be deposited in this trust, from which it is expected to generate additional Rs 5.25 crore every year.
The government has also simplified the process of amalgamation of mining leases. This will remove the practical difficulties faced in integration of different types of approved leases and will facilitate the government in receiving the premium amount.
The system of mineral royalty deduction in construction departments has also been made uniform. Now all the departments will deduct the additional amount in the form of royalty, DMF, environment cess, infrastructure cess and security along with the price of the mineral as per the prescribed rules. This amount will be returned after getting royalty clearance from the Mineral Department, otherwise the department will deposit it under the Mineral head. This will also effectively stop the use of minerals from illegal sources.
Under another important decision, the benefit of revenue from minor minerals will now not be limited only to urban bodies, gram panchayats and district panchayats, but district panchayats will also get its share.
After about 30 years, the rates of dead rent (compulsory rent) of mines have also been increased. There are more than 1900 minor mineral mines in the state, out of which a large number of mines have been closed for years. The government believes that due to increased dead rent, only serious lessees will operate the mines. The mines which will not be operated will be dedicated and will be available for auction again.
