PANAJI
Those involved in illegal extraction, transportation and storage of minor minerals would now be jailed for a period of two years with a penalty levied upto Rs five lakh with daily fine of Rs 50,000 in case of continuing offence as the State cabinet on Monday approved amendment to the Goa Minor Mineral Concession Rules 1985.
The draft amendment also proposes to increase the jail term from one year to upto two years and fine of Rs 5,000 for carrying out quarrying operations by violating the terms and conditions of a quarrying lease or quarrying permit. Currently, a penalty of Rs 500 is imposed.
As per the existing law, the violators involved in illegal mining, transportation, storage of minor minerals are imprisoned for a period of one year with a fine of Rs 5,000 and in case of continued offence a fine of Rs 500 per day is imposed.
At the same time, in a bid to streamline the process of grant of leases, the government has proposed to increase the quarrying lease period from existing 10 years to 30 years by the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG), beyond which approval of the government would be mandatory.
Interestingly, the government has proposed to auction or utilize the same found during the course of dredging of river, on payment of royalty.
According to the cabinet note, it is proposed to amend Rule 63 (3) so as to hold royalty on minerals as the base for determining the amount payable for compounding of offence which will be ten times the royalty payable for the first offence and 20 times the royalty payable for the second and subsequent offence.
